Probe against Goa whistleblower

PRESSURE Parrikar orders vigilance inquiry against crusader Kashinath Shetye for purportedly stealing documents

PANAJI: Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday ordered an inquiry against a 49-year-old government junior engineer, who is a self-styled anti-corruption campaigner and exposed dishonest deals linked to politicians.

The vigilance probe was ordered against whistleblower Kashinath Shetye after BJP legislator Nilesh Cabral accused him of stealing documents from the state assembly.

The lawmaker also moved a privilege motion.

“He has filed 195 cases in the past five years and has taken a lot of leave. I wonder whether he is working for the government or not,” the chief minister said while announcing a vigilance inquiry against him.

The remarks came from a man who had used the right to information act (RTI) — the main weapon of Shetye in his crusade — to expose the Congress governThe ment of Digambar Kamat about a decade ago.

Shetye’s RTI applications allegedly exposed “illegal sale and purchase” of land by the Goa tourism development corporation that lawmaker Cabral heads.

“In my recent petition I had challenged the procedure used by the GTDC to bring private players to acres of land in Vagator. It has perhaps irked Cabral, a close aide of Parrikar,” he said.

“I am not afraid of anything as I have documents to prove I am right.”

Like many anti-graft campaigners in India, Shetye has been threatened, assaulted and transferred to the remotest corners of Goa.

But he has continued with his crusade against corruption.

His fight cuts across party lines. He exposed an illegal mining scam in 2013 in which former Congress chief ministers Kamat and Pratapsingh Rane were charged.

Cabral’s allegation and demand for action against Shetye found support from legislators across the spectrum because the junior engineer for 27 years have been a bugbear for every government.

legislators accuse Shetye of violating the civil service conduct rules as he had filed RTI applications and cases in the national green tribunal, high court and the Supreme Court.

“There were days when the phone would not stop ringing with threats to harm me and my family,” said the engineer who began his fight against corruption when a bribe was sought from his wife about 20 years ago.

More than 50 RTI activists have been killed and another 257 assaulted in 12 years since the law was enacted.

A bill introduced by the previous UPA government to protect whistleblowers is pending in Parliament.

The Centre now proposes to change rules that could make RTI applicants more vulnerable to threats.

As Parrikar forms a committee to probe his assets, Shetye said he will remain a whistleblower.

“I have always asked for information under the RTI act as a citizen not as a government servant trying to benefit from it,” he said.