Rajiv Goswami

Rajiv Goswami
Born(1971-06-12)12 June 1971
Died24 February 2004(2004-02-24) (aged 32)
NationalityIndian
OccupationStudent leader

Rajiv Goswami (12 June 1971 – 24 February 2004) was an Indian activist and a former commerce student at the Deshbandhu College, Delhi University who came into prominence when he attempted self-immolation on 19 September 1990 to protest against Prime Minister V. P. Singh's implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations for job reservations for backward castes in India. Goswami spearheaded a formidable movement against the Mandal Commission and his act of self-immolation led to larger protests and a series of self-immolations by college students throughout India. During Mandal commission agitation, the AIIMS intersection in Delhi was temporarily renamed by students to Rajiv Chowk in a celebration of his act.[1]

Subsequently, he was elected to position of the Delhi University Students' Union president. He later gave up active politics due to health problems and started his own business. In the following years he was frequently in and out of hospitals because of severe health complications resulting from his self-immolation bid.[2][3]

He was a resident of Gomti Apartments at Kalkaji in New Delhi. He died on 24 February 2004 at the age of 32 in Holy Family Hospital Okhla, New Delhi.[4] His mother, Nandrani Goswami, was one of the speakers at anti reservation protests in 2006.[5]

  1. ^ Mitra, Chandan (1 March 2004). "Why India forgot a hero". Sify News. Archived from the original on 6 July 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2020 – via hvk.org.
  2. ^ "The Hindu : Rajiv Goswami dead". Hinduonnet.com. 25 February 2004. Archived from the original on 5 September 2006. Retrieved 9 September 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ Sharma, Aasheesh (21 August 2011). "Two generations one issue". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  4. ^ "The man who sparked anti-Mandal agitation". Hindustan Times. 17 April 2006. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  5. ^ Teena Thacker (1 June 2006). "Rajiv Goswami's mother appeals to protesters". Express India. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2013.