Jethava’s father writes to President

31-08-2010
Jethava's father writes to President
Indian Express
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Jethava-s-father-writes-to-President/674812

The family of slain RTI activist Amit Jethava on Monday wrote to President Pratibha Patil saying should anything happen to them, Junagadh MP Dinu Solanki must be held responsible.

Bhikha Jethava, Amit's father, said though it's been over a fortnight since Dinu's nephew Shiva's name emerged as the main conspirator in the case, he is still at large. Besides, the police had not been probing the BJP MP's role, he said.

Amit, who had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) with the Gujarat High Court against illegal mining in the vicinity of Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, was shot dead on July 20.

"Both Dinu and Shiva are roaming free. My family is in danger. I suspect anything can happen to any of us. For the same reason, I have sent a sworn affidavit to the President of India," said Bhikha.

The slain RTI activist is survived by parents, wife, a daughter and a brother. "He might even kill us in a road accident to make it appear natural. But even in such circumstances, there should be a probe into the incident," said Bhikha.

Jethava's family has already demanded a CBI inquiry into the murder. While the Ahmedabad Crime Branch says Shiva gave supari of Rs 15 lakh to a sharpshooter named Shailesh Pandya to kill Jethava, Bhikha said the amount was Rs 1 crore, which the MP had allegedly raised from various miners from Kodinar on the pretext of fighting legal battle against Amit's PIL.

Over the past few years, Amit had exposed several alleged illegal activities by the MP and his nephew.