A Right to Information (RTI) application he filed recently, asking the home ministry whether India was prepared for any potential attacks by zombies, has had somewhat apocalyptic ramifications for Ajay Kumar.
The young man's query became public and was shared heavily online earlier in the week, inviting much ridicule and even some solemn criticism. "I am concerned about the readiness of our government in the event of an invasion by aliens, zombies, and extra-dimensional beings." Apart from the means and plans for protecting the public in such a scenario, Mumbai-based Kumar wanted to know about India's chances against them. "Can we do it without Will Smith?" he asked in a sub-question.
The internet had found its latest eccentric. Some thought the applicant was sincerely fretting over the possibility of supernatural catastrophes. Others saw the cheeky reference to American star Smith, who has fought zombies and aliens in films like I am Legend and Men in Black, as a sign that the question was all in jest. None of them was quite right about his intentions, however. Kumar says this was a form of serious protest.
He says he wanted to keep public officials busy with a futile question because he claims they had, in the past, offered frivolous responses on more important issues. Too much time, according to him, is spent on labelling people "anti-national" in the country, and he would rather officials spent time looking up the meaning of terms like "extra-dimensional beings".
Within days of making the zombie attack enquiry, the ministry responded: "You have raised queries on some hypothetical situations and sought the views/legal opinion of the Ministry of Home Affairs on that issue." Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju re-posted the application on Twitter, saying the question was "too scientific" and wasted precious hours of officials.
As an example of the more relevant applications he had made, Kumar offers an instance when he brought up the problem of Indian workers having their passports taken away in West Asian countries. "I asked if there is any treatise between India and those countries whereby they can confiscate the passports on arrival," he says. Rather than giving him a definite answer, Kumar alleges the external affairs ministry in New Delhi said it did not have the requested information and made a "ridiculous" suggestion that he approach the Indian consulate in each of the Gulf nations.
What worries him, however, is the fact that his enquiry was available in public. As he was traced by a few journalists, Kumar believes that an unredacted copy may have been circulated, where his address or phone number were visible. His guess is that the ministry is responsible. According to a Calcutta High Court order, it is the duty of the public officials to protect personal details of RTI applicants.
It is not clear how the application, filed in March, surfaced online now. It appears to have been posted in June on the Facebook page of YouRTI.in, a website that allows people to post and track their RTI requests. The zombie query snowballed after some tweets about it appeared on September 20.
Kumar reveals feelings of anger and frustration. "I got fed up of the government calling people anti-national. And I am outraged that my request was leaked." It is the right, he says, of citizens to seek any information they want, even on a whim. "I may want to know the birth date of every employee in a ministry." According to Kumar, for the longest time in India, the relation with the government is that people are scared of the government. "We approach them with fear. Why should we be afraid?"
While Kumar is not afraid, he is wary of dangerous consequences if the identities of RTI applicants like him are exposed. Some news reports have revealed personal details about him that could lead to him being recognised, he observes. And that is why he prefers not to share details about his life.
