Samajwadi corporator arrested for murder of RTI activist

Exactly two months after the murder of a Right To Information (RTI) activist in the powerloom town of Bhiwandi, the police arrested a Samajwadi Party corporator last night, who had been evading arrest.
The arrested corporator Hasib alias Sherkhan Shaikh, was produced in the local court today and remanded to police custody until February 28, the police said.
The victim Abrar Ahmed Jamil Ahmed Ansari (32), a resident of Kapkaneri, who was an RTI activist, had sought details of illegal constructions in Gulzarnagar reportedly by Samajwadi Party corporator Hasib alias Sherkhan Shaikh (38).
As the real estate developer happened to be a corporator, civic officials in Bhiwandi were reluctant to part with information.

Allegedly, on December 16, after corporator Hasib who came to know about the RTI query, called the victim to Fatima Nagar, threatened him and asked him to withdraw the letter.
When the victim refused to oblige, the corporator along with his men allegedly attacked him with wooden logs.
Abrar died the next day while being treated at the Nair Hospital.
The local police registered an offence under Section 302 against those who attacked the victim and since then, the corporator had been evading arrest, until last night.