RTI activist Ramesh Yadav, who was instrumental in securing a court order for registration of an FIR against builders and government officials this past week in a stamp duty evasion case, on Thursday wrote to the Police Commissioner seeking security fearing an attack or an attempt to implicate him in a false case.

Mr. Yadav said he apprehended an attempt on his life or to implicate him in a false case and, therefore, he along with his activist friends went to the office of the Police Commissioner on Thursday afternoon requesting security.

“I have been running a crusade against corruption for the past several years. During the course of the stamp duty evasion case, I received several threats to pressurise me to withdraw the complaint. Now that the court has ordered the registration of the FIR, I fear a retaliation,” said Mr. Yadav.

He said several RTI activists and even journalists were attacked across the country over the past few years for raising their voice against corruption and he could also be targeted. “False cases have been registered against several RTI activists in Gurugram itself to harass them and force them into silence,” he claimed.

Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Naveen Kumar had on December 1 ordered registration of an FIR against 14 builders and as many government officials, including Sub-Registrars and Joint Sub-Registrars, for causing a loss of over ₹5 crore to the state exchequer by way of evasion of stamp duty. The government officials had colluded with the developers to register 53 agricultural properties falling within the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram treating them outside the ambit of the municipal area from 2009-12.

Gurugram Police spokesperson Subhash Boken said there was a well-laid procedure to conduct threat assessment in such cases. He added that the decision to provide security would be taken after the assessment was conducted.

An FIR was registered against the developers and the government officials at Manesar Police Station on Wednesday under different sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act following the court orders for alleged evasion of stamp duty.