MP contractor who filed RTI requests shot in the head outside PWD office

Ranjeet Soni was a contractor for the local public works department (PWD) and an RTI activist. Police said he used to file RTI requests to get information related to work being done by PWD

Published on: Jun 2, 2022, 21:52:14 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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BHOPAL: A 36-year-old right to information (RTI) law activist was shot dead in front of Public Works Department (PWD) office in Vidisha on Thursday afternoon, police said.

Ranjeet Soni, the Vidisha contractor who filed RTI requests with the local PWD office, was shot dead outside the public works department office. (Reuters File)

A resident of Ashok Nagar, Ranjeet Soni was an RTI activist and a public works contractor.

Vidisha superintendent of police (SP) Sameer yadav said, “Soni was going to PWD office when he was shot dead… He died on the spot. Locals informed the police.”

Police said Ranjeet Soni was shot in the head.

“Prima facie, it was found that Soni was a small-time PWD contractor and used to file RTIs to get information related to work being done by PWD,” said Vidisha additional SP Sameer Yadav.

Police said they are trying to track the assailant police are trying to nab the accused. The purpose of murder will be revealed after the arrest of the accused, he added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More