Guwahati Sept 26: Right to Information (RTI) activist and owner of the news portal NEBharat, Dulal Borah, was arrested by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police at a private hospital in Kirti Nagar, New Delhi on Wednesday morning.
His arrest comes in connection with the suicide of a BJP worker Debajit Hazarika, the president of Rajapukhuri Gram Panchayat in Charaideo district. Hazarika reportedly left a note attributing his distress to several individuals, including Borah.
A police team from the Sonari police station in Charaideo has already departed for Delhi to take custody of Borah.
In response to Dulal Borah’s arrest, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the Assam State Information Commission (ASIC) has been instructed to take strict action against Borah for the alleged misuse of the RTI Act.
The arrest was followed by Borah’s recent failure to respond to a summons from the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell, which has been closely monitoring his activities.
While the manager and HR personnel from Borah’s online news portal, NE Bharat, complied with the summons, his absence has raised concerns about his conduct and compliance with the law.
Reports indicate that Borah had previously filed an RTI application regarding alleged irregularities in the construction of a temple in the Rajapukhuri panchayat. However, despite receiving responses from the authorities, he reportedly continued to harass panchayat representative Debajit Hazarika, which may have contributed to Hazarika’s distress and subsequent suicide.
Borah has been accused of exploiting the RTI Act by using RTI documents to threaten officials and subsequently demanding money to cease his actions. As a result of this investigation, three individuals have been arrested in connection with these allegations.
On Tuesday, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Charaideo remanded former Block Development Officer (BDO) Ranjit Buragohain and journalist Parismita Phukan Baishya, both of whom are implicated in the circumstances surrounding Debajit Hazarika’s death, to judicial custody.
The Assam State Information Commission has ordered strict measures against Borah for the alleged misuse of the RTI Act for personal gain. This decision was informed by a detailed report from the Crime Investigation Department (CID), which revealed that Borah is involved in 31 criminal cases, including charges of extortion, conspiracy, and cheating.
The report detailing Borah’s activities alleges that he accumulated substantial wealth through illegal means, which has severely hindered the timely resolution of RTI appeals and complaints from other citizens. His reported modus operandi involved filing numerous RTI applications, intimidating public officials, and demanding bribes in exchange for withdrawing these applications.
In light of these findings, the Commission has classified Borah’s actions as a blatant misuse of the RTI Act. Consequently, the Commission has ordered a freeze on all second appeals and complaints filed by Borah until further notice.
Notably, Borah has submitted an astonishing 2,173 second appeals, many of which have remained unresolved since December 31, 2019. Alarmingly, 944 of these appeals were filed after the stipulated time limit for RTI applications had expired.
Furthermore, the Commission has instructed First Appellate Authorities to monitor and report any cases where Borah’s initial appeals were dismissed due to delays.
On December 7, 2019, Borah was arrested by the Guwahati police for allegedly blackmailing a motor vehicle inspector (MVI) Naimuddin Ali after the MVI lodged an FIR with Hatigaon Police Station against Bora charging him of blackmailing.
In the FIR, Ali mentioned that Bora demanded a sum of Rs 5 lakh from him. Bora, however, denied the charges and said he will take this matter to the court.
