Times of India: Ranchi: Sunday,
April 24, 2016.
Sitting in
his nondescript 4x5 ft kiosk selling cigarettes and pan masala at Anjuman Plaza
on main road, Mohd Akram Rashid will come across as an ordinary tobacco vendor
to anyone. However, a careful glance will reveal a pile of letters sitting on
his counter. These papers are not meant for rolling up pan, but are Right To
Information applications.
Akram (28)
has been filing RTI applications on behalf of the needy, without a fee, for
more than four years now.
Youngest of
seven siblings, Akram was repeatedly forced to drop out of school as the
family's financial position was not strong enough, scompleting his intermediate
only in 2013. Son of a senior journalist working for a leading Urdu daily of
its time, Akram also wished to be a journalist but couldn't become one.
"My
father has been an immense source of inspiration for me. Despite all odds, he
kept the hearth burning at home. He was a man of principles. Despite knowing
many powerful men of his time, he never sought any help from anyone. Raising
seven children with a meagre ncome was not an easy job," said Akram, whose
brothers and a sister are married and settled in Mumbai.
Akram's first
tryst with RTI happened in 2013 when he filed an application to seek
information about public relations officers working in Ranchi University and
affiliated colleges. "I had taken admission in Doranda college after
completing my intermediate and wanted to know about the procedure to apply for
scholarship. The officials were either ignorant or unyielding to my queries. I
also visited Ranchi University to seek help, but to no avail," recounted
Akram.
The
university official kept sitting on the RTI and moved only when Akram wrote to
the governor seeking his intervention. Consequently, upon instructions from the
then governor, the university promptly appointed public relations officers
(PRO)s at its office as well as affiliated colleges.
"Even as
I had to drop again after completing the first year, the university's action
was a major boost to my morale. Thereafter, many people contacted me to
understand the process of RTI and even asked me to write one on their
behalf," said Akram.
The spirited
activist has filed close to 60 RTI applications on behalf of many people who
approached him for help. Rashid opens his shop at 11am everyday and keeps
entertaining people till dusk, listening to their problems and writing drafts
for their RTIs without charging a single penny. One such beneficiary is Saba
Parveen, pursuing a postgraduation from Marwari college. Saba, who lives in
Hindpiri, was guided to Akram to seek help by a relative who lives in Hindpiri.
"I had
applied for scholarship under the minority quota during my graduation. Despite
it being approved, I never got a single penny in my bank account for two years.
I came to know about Akram through a relative. He helped me file an RTI to
trace transfer of funds and surprisingly it revealed that bank had been
crediting the wrong account with the scholarship money for the past two years.
The bank immediately acknowledged the mistake and refunded Rs 39,000 to my
account," said Parveen, who lives in Hindpiri. Akram's RTI activism has
earned him enemies as well. The lanky fellow was forced to withdraw at least
one RTI because of family's pressure after he started receiving death threats.
"A few
RTIs have also ended up with threats and warnings. Though I don't really care,
the fact that I'm the sole breadwinner for a family of five forces me to be
more practical. For the moment, I'm concentrating on the RTI application I
wrote on the pension of my mother. Four years have lapsed, but nothing has
happened," said Akram.
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