Truth Is Shield While Questioning Public Officials

FEAR has been the primary reason why citizens hesitate to question authority. Individually, they are often threatened and many choose silence, rightly so. When we started Arappor Iyakkam in 2015, our aim was to break this fear, as we believed it was crucial to building a vibrant civil society where citizens could question elected representatives and public officials without intimidation.

- JAYARAM VENKATESAN

While preparing for the event organised to mark the 10th anniversary of Arappor at Sri Pitti Thyagaraya Hall on Sunday, I asked a volunteer, "What does Arappor mean to you?" Without hesitation, he replied, "Arappor taught me how to question even the most powerful with truth and evidence—and, more importantly, without fear."

I took the answer as an indication of the impact Arappor has managed to have in its ten years of existence, with thousands of volunteers as the backbone and despite numerous challenges.

In a democracy, questioning takes many forms—raising complaints, filing requests for information under the Right to Information Act, analysing data to bring out evidence of corruption, conducting public hearings, engaging officials, holding peaceful yet assertive protests, and filing public interest litigations in courts.