Veteran journalist, writer and social activist VT Rajashekhar dies at 93
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Mangaluru: Veteran journalist, writer, social activist and founder editor of ‘Dalit Voice’, V T Rajashekhar passed away at a private hospital in Mangaluru on Wednesday. He was 93 and was ailing for some time. He was residing in Mangaluru.
After a brief journalistic stint first with Patriot and then with Indian Express for over two decades, he left the latter and launched Dalit Voice in 1981, staunchly championing the Dalit cause. In the process, he brought to focus many an atrocity committed against Dalits in Indian society and advocated reservation in admissions and government recruitment, as a means of empowering the backward communities through giving them a share in government.
A staunch critic of the Sangh Parivar, he wrote prolifically to critique their ideology based on HIndutva.
He was the recipient of several honours at the national and international level.
His magazine Dalit Voice which he launched won international acclaim as a voice of the backward classes which was described by the human rights watchdog Human Rights Watch as “India’s most widely circulated Dalit journal.”
Though the magazine and its website ceased publication in 2011, its impact continues to resonate.
He was born in 1932, in Vontibettu, Karnataka.
Throughout his life, Rajshekar faced serious challenges for his outspoken views. In 1986, his passport was confiscated for alleged “anti-Hindu” writings, and he was arrested in Bengaluru under the Terrorist and Anti-Disruptive Activities (TADA) Act, a notorious legislation known for its draconian provisions.
Rajshekar later revealed to Human Rights Watch that his arrest was based on an editorial he had written in Dalit Voice. Another writer who republished the editorial was also arrested. Over the years, he was charged under the Sedition Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly inciting disaffection between communities.
Rajshekar also authored dozens of books on caste, oppression, and social justice.
In 2005, he received the London Institute of South Asia (LISA) Book of the Year Award. In 2018, he was honored with the Mukundan C. Menon Award, instituted by the National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations (NCHRO).
He is survived by his son, Salil Shetty, who served as the Secretary General of Amnesty International.
