Activist’s revelations through RTI queries exposed many

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 21

Suresh Sharma, RTI activist and former leader of the Aam Adami Party (AAP), who sustained multiple gunshot injuries on Tuesday, has raised several issues related to encroachments and wrongdoings by influential people in the past. Some political and commercial groups have been in trouble due to Sharma’s initiatives. Though he did not receive any threat in the recent past, his revelations under the RTI Act has annoyed several persons.

He recently raised the issue of marriage palaces, which had been sealed on the directions of Punjab and Haryana High Court. Several marriage palace owners had broken the seals and made the places operational. Acting on the complaint of Sharma, the MC got registered police cases against several marriage palace owners.

A week before the attack, Suresh Sharma had alleged that BJP leaders were aware of the demonetisation before November 8, 2016. He alleged that the BJP’s local unit paid Rs 45 lakh to the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) to buy land for the party office in New Amritsar on the same day before the announcement of demonetisation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also raised the issue of illegal construction at the BJP head office at Khanna Smarak. Acting on his application, the Municipal Corporation had issued a notice in this direction. He exposed private schools, which added their family members in the school management in September. Sharma also exposed the fake receipt scam in the MC and filed several complaints regarding illegal constructions.