Click to play videoNew Delhi: RTI activist Ramesh Agarwal has been arrested and chained to a hospital bed Chhattisgarh's Raigarh after a complaint by business group, the Jindals. Agarwal was arrested on May 28 by Chhatisgarh Police based on a complaint filed by the Jindals. Photographs available with CNN-IBN clearly show that Ramesh has been handcuffed.
Agarwal is apparently paying the price for being a whistleblower as he had written to Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh asking for environment clearance to be cancelled of Jindal plant for violating green norms in 2010.
It was based on his letter that Ramesh cancelled the environment clearance of Jindal Steel and Power Plant.
Agarwal is accused of defamation, insult and of making false statements. He was arrested after he reportedly spoke at a public hearing against the Jindals.
His son Dhananjay Agarwal said that his father was paying the price for exposing environmental violations by the powerful business groups. Dhananjay claimed that he had told Raipur Superintendent of Police Rahul Sharma about the treatment meted to his father.
However, Sharma refuted the charge that Chhattisgarh Police has handcuffed Agarwal and instead blamed the jail authorities.
"Media reports are not true. This has been done by jail administration not by us. We are conducting an enquiry how this has happened. We are taking action against police officers responsible for this and they will be suspended," said Sharma.
Chaining and handcuffing is a direct violation of Supreme Court guidelines related to undertrials and is a punishable offence.
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