Arun Baban Mane

PUNE : Arun Baban Mane (38) a RTI activist and a close associate of whistleblower Satish Shetty was assaulted by sharp weapons by an unidentified person at his footwear shop in Talegaon, about 40 kms from Pune on Sunday around 8 am.

Arun Baban Mane

This is second incident on the attack on RTI activist in the same town. On January 13, 2010, Satish Shetty, who had blown the whistle on a series of land scams in and around Talegaon, Lonavla and Pimpri-Chinchwad was brutally murdered by his opponents.



Meanwhile, Mane, who was undergoing treatment in Talegaon general hospital is out of danger. He has received a minor injury on his forehead and on chest. He has lodged the complaint with Talegaon Dabhade police against an unidentified person. The police are yet to make any arrest in connection with the attack.



Mane was taking follow-up of Shetty murder case and also the cases exposed by Satish Shetty under RTI, was allegedly threatened by an unidentified person armed with a fire arm on December 28. He has lodged the complaint with the Talegaon Dabhade police station and was provided with the police security, said sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Shrikrishna Kokate.

The attack shocked citizens and RTI activists in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Traders and shopkeepers at Jijamata Chowk in Talegaon-Dabhade pulled down their shutters to protest against the attack.

Speaking to TOI Mane said on Sunday around 7.30 am he opened his shop Surabhi Footwear', locate at Jijatmata Chowk in Talegaon. After sometime he asked the sweeper Yuvraj Thorve, who sweeping the front area of his shop to bring the newspaper. "Around 8 am, one person came in my shop on the pretext of purchasing footwear. When I went inside the godown to bring the box of footwear. They suspect followed me. He threatened me to keep away from the Shetty murder case and all of a sudden attacked me with sharp weapon and fled," Mane said.

Mane, who received a cut on his forehead and scratch wounds on his forehead said that in the meantime Thorve came to the shop. He informed the other shopkeepers in the area, who later rushed him to the hospital. "I do not know the person, who attacked me," Mane said.

Mane said that he was not aware of the persons, who were involved in the attack on him. "I was following two cases of Satish Shetty. In November, I had filed an RTI application with Lonavla police station and sought information from them. However, I am yet get the information," Mane said.

When contacted Yuvraj Thorve said that when he returned back after bringing the newspaper, Mane was inside the shop. "I was reading the newspaper outside the shop. After 10 minutes, the neighbouring tea stall owner asked to call Mane. When I called him, he came running out of his shop. His forehead was soaking in blood. Mane informed me that he was attacked with sharp weapon," Thorve said adding, "I did not see the suspects."

The police have filed the case under sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault of wrongful restraint) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Courtesy: TOI Report