Cuttack: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Odisha DGP on the murder of an RTI activist in Kendrapara district earlier this month.
The activist, Ranjan Kumar Das (35), was found murdered on the roadside at Beruan village near Marshaghai in the district on February 1.
Following the murder, Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy had filed a petition with NHRC.
The petitioner alleged that though Das had been regularly receiving death threats for seeking information, including on several illegal brick kilns, no police action was taken.
Tripathy also mentioned that the murdered activist had recently lodged a complaint with the Odisha Lokayukta against the alleged encroachment of 1,100 acres of government land by a resident of Mahakalpada for shrimp farming. This was the probable motive behind the murder, he added.
Acting on the petition, NHRC issued the notice to the DGP, who has to reply to it in two weeks.
