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The RTI has been Bhoop Singh’s weapon in his fight for the rights of students</td></tr> <tr valign="top"><td colspan="3" height="10">
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About 50 students have gathered at Delhi University’s D S Kothari hostel to give a warm sendoff to Bhoop Singh who has just completed his Masters from the School of Environmental Studies. Some friends have booked a car for him; some are packing his luggage while others are arranging food for his journey back home —to Mahendragarh in Haryana. Such a farewell is unusual even on a campus where friendships run deep. Bhoop Singh owes his popularity to his activism. In the past year, he has changed the way hostels treat students. His weapon: the Right to Information Act. He has filed over a dozen RTI applications, forcing the university authorities to reassess many of their policies. “He has shown that with little effort, students can make the authorities take them seriously,” says Anirudh Sharma, his classmate from SES.
Singh took on his hostel last year on the issue of residents being made to pay Rs 880 every year for sports facilities. Singh wanted to know how that money was being utilised since the hostel provided no sports facilities. The result was a refund to every hostel resident. Students overstaying their term in hostels was another problem that Singh addressed. “Most of the students in the hostels come from outside Delhi, and many from humble families. There are many problems with the hostels but I hope that with the power of RTI with us, we can demand and achieve what is our right,” says Singh. Singh also brought to the attention of the authorities the trend of influential professors holding multiple posts. There was protest again and the authorities had to take action. He then turned his attention closer home. Noticing that th
eir hostel mess changed contractors frequently, he advised students to ensure that the mess workers are not changed every time a contractor is. Despite his activism, Singh has steered clear of student politics. Says Singh’s hostel roommate Gopal: “But he is more popular than many student leaders in the university.” Now that he has completed his Masters, Singh, who belongs to a farming family, has his sights set on the civil services exam. He plans to apply for masters in law and prepare for civil services entrance examinations. His friends are hoping he returns to the university. Master act
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