Right to Information (RTI) activist Ramesh Agrawal was shot at by two bike-borne youths at a busy market place in Chhattisgarh’s industrial town of Raigarh, nearly 120 km from here, on Saturday.
Mr Agrawal, who has been waging a relentless battle against mining mafias in the state for the past one-and-half decade ignoring several threats to his life given during the period, was shot from close range by the assailants when he was waiting at a computer shop in the main market area of the town in the noon, the police said. The two youths fired on him and then fled the area in their motorcycle.
Mr Agrawal was rushed to the local hospital with bullet injuries in his legs. He is stated to be stable now”, city superintendent of police (SP) Neha Pandey said. Asked if the police suspected hand of mining mafias in the attack, the police officer said she did not rule out anything at this stage. Mr Agrawal has exposed rampant illegal mining of iron ore, dolomite, bauxite and coal in the state, particularly in Raigarh and Bilashpur districts inviting wrath from the mining mafias. The incident sparked an outrage in the state with social activists and various NGOs demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.