Rajesh Savaliya

On July 18, 2017, Rajesh Savaliya, a 31-year-old activist, was found severely injured on the side of a highway in Gujarat, India.  Unfortunately, Savaliya later succumbed to his injuries that day.

Mr. Savaliya was murdered because of his attempts to expose the alleged corruption in the schools in the area, including the education mafia that was extracting money from students and schools operating without proper licenses and approval letters.

Savaliya was using the right to information (RTI) as a tool to expose this corruption. Savaliya had previously reported receiving threats from the alleged corrupt education mafia.

However, Savaliya’s story is not unique: in India Since 2005,  more than 60 activists have been killed, and hundreds more have been assaulted, or violently intimidated for filing RTI requests.


If you would like to provide a personal recollection, please email us at: HRDMemorial@frontlinedefenders.org

Region:Asia-Pacific

Country:India

Department/Province/State:Gujarat

Sex1:Male

Age:31

Date of Killing:17/07/2018

Previous Threats:Yes

Organisation:Right to Information Activist

Sector or Type of Rights the HRD Worked On:Civil and Political Rights, ESC Rights

Sector Detail:Abuse of power/corruption

More information:Front Line Defenders

1This database records an individual's chosen gender identity. If they do not self-identify as male or female they can use the option of recording other/neither or use the term NBGI (non binary gender identity).

Rajesh Savaliya

Rajesh was an RTI activist from Surat, he was found with multiple injuries on his head and shoulder on the National Highway-8 in Navsari. Later that night in a private hospital he was declared dead.

Rajesh was 31 years old, he launched a drive to expose the education mafia operating in the city. He had also reportedly complained to the District Education officer about a number of schools that were functioning without proper licences or letters of approval. Rajesh also received threatening calls allegedly from the eduction mafia for a month before he was killed.

On the night of his death Rajesh’s friend Vijay Patel received a call from city’s Navsari Civil Hospital about him being severely injured. He took Rajesh to the hospital and informed his family about the injury.

The Punagam Police have started an investigation after registering a case of accidental death in this regard. They called Rajesh’s friend and recorded his statements. At present the police has registered a case of accidental death, and not of murder.

 


If you would like to provide a personal recollection, please email us at: HRDMemorial@frontlinedefenders.org

Region:Asia-Pacific

Country:India

Department/Province/State:Gujarat

Sex1:Male

Age:31

Date of Killing:18/07/2017

Previous Threats:Yes

Type of Work:Journalist/communicator

Organisation:RTI

Sector or Type of Rights the HRD Worked On:Civil and Political Rights

Sector Detail:Citizens' rights, Right to Eduction/Student Rights

More information:Front Line Defenders

1This database records an individual's chosen gender identity. If they do not self-identify as male or female they can use the option of recording other/neither or use the term NBGI (non binary gender identity).