At tribute meet for slain info activist Satish Shetty on death anniversary, his brother says he will not take up RTI as his life's mission as it's a lone and dangerous battle <table style="width: 101px; height: 42px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="101" align="right" border="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/jan/pledge.jpg" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr> <td> On a mission: RTI activists take an oath under the Lokmanya Tilak statue in Mahatma Phule vegetable market; (inset) Sandeep, brother of slain RTI activist Satish Shetty. Pic/Jignesh Mistry</td></tr></tbody></table>"MY brother was a courageous RTI activist, but I will not continue his mission and become one," said Sandeep, younger brother of Satish Shetty. He was speaking at a public meeting in the city yesterday to pay tribute to his slain brother. Sandeep said making use of the Right to Information (RTI) Act was a tortuous process, and the activist was often left to fight a lone and dangerous battle. Satish, a Talegaon-based RTI activist and an anti-corruption crusader, had unearthed several land-related scams in that area. He was murdered on January 13 last year by unidentified assailants while on his morning walk. The tribute meeting was organised by city-based RTI activists near the Lokmanya Tilak statue in the Mahatma Phule vegetable market. Over 30 RTI activists were present to pay their respects to Satish. All the RTI activists who participated in the meeting swore to continue with RTI as their life's mission and not misuse it. Vivek Velankar, Jugal Rathi, Vinod Jain, Umesh Naik, Vaibhav Gandhi, Ram Torkadi, Anil Agawane, Nitin Pandit, Rajesh Shinde, Ashok Sagar and Anita Ashok Munot were among the prominent activists who took the oath. Sandeep said that getting information using the RTI Act was tedious. If the information is incomplete, then one has to apply again, pursue it and also get the backing of the law and judiciary. The RTI Act was implemented in 2005 and over 50 RTI activists have lost their lives so far. "Nobody even remembers the names of those who lost their lives like my brother," Sandeep said. "I don't want to be a part of the RTI mission. Mahatma Gandhi and Lokmanya Tilak fought for freedom because crores of people supported them. Many are waging a lone battle and it is dangerous."

At tribute meet for slain info activist Satish Shetty on death anniversary, his brother says he will not take up RTI as his life's mission as it's a lone and dangerous battle

'RTI activism full of danger'

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'RTI activism full of danger'

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