The Times of India: New Delhi: Wednesday, May 09, 2012.
Shelves stacked with files and books at the Vasant Kunj residence of 61-year-old whistleblower Ravinder Balwani narrate a tale of activism. An RTI activist and a crusader against corruption, Balwani died of head injuries, in mysterious circumstances, on April 26. A retired manager of Delhi Transco Limited, he was found fatally injured near a bustling marketplace, less than 2km from his house, in the evening. That day too, he had pursued a case pertaining to alleged misuse of resources by a senior power sector official in the Delhi high court.
While Delhi Police claims Balwani's case is one of "hit and run", his family alleges there is more to it than meets the eye and wants a thorough probe. He is survived by his wife, Anjana, a former school teacher, daughter Sonia, who is a physiotherapist, and son Varun, who works in the hotel industry. The family wants justice. "There are many loopholes in the police theory that it is a hit-and-run case. My father's death is shrouded in many unanswered questions. We must get the answers so that my father gets justice," Sonia Balwani told TOI.
Pointing at the files in her father's room, she recalls how her father fought tirelessly for justice and never feared anyone. She said his crusade started way back in 2001.
"My father filed a complaint against an MLA who got him transferred when he refused to take a bribe. He fought at different levels to seek justice and finally his transfer was revoked. We got worried when he took on the MLA but he was not one to give in to pressure," says Sonia. Since her father's death, the family has been going through his many files with RTI applications and information collected by Ravinder Balwani.
Varun says his father used the Right to Information Act extensively to expose the wrongdoings of officials in the power sector. He was actively involved in the RTI campaign of Magsaysay Award winner Arvind Kejriwal's NGO Parivartan way back in 2005. Manish Sisodia, a close aide of Kejriwal, remembers Balwani as an active crusader.
"He was actively using RTI even before the central Act came. He was seeking information under Delhi Right to Information Act before that," Sisodia added.
Balwani was known as an active complainant at the office of Delhi Lokayukta. Officials here remember him as an active senior citizen who tirelessly pursued cases.
He is learnt to have filed three complaints in the office of the Lokayukta. One was against a senior official in Transco for allegedly misusing his official position for personal benefit. Another was against two former members of Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission. This case was regarding revision of electricity tariff by DERC. The order of the Lokayukta had been reserved in this matter.
A third case was against Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and power minister Haroon Yusuf in a matter concerning installation of power plants without adequate allocation of gas to them. This had been dismissed by the Lokayukta as it was withdrawn by Balwani later.
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