Social activist Sanjit Bunker Roy dies

Jaipur Renowned social activist and Barefoot College founder Sanjit Bunker Roy, who spent more than five decades working for rural development and women's empowerment, died at his home in Tilonia in Rajasthan's Ajmer district on Tuesday (November 10, 2026) morning. He was 81. Mr. Roy breathed his last in the presence of his wife, noted social activist Aruna Roy, and others close to him, people associated with him said in a statement in Jaipur.

"Bunker Roy passed away peacefully at 6.15 a.m. this morning with Aruna and others around him. He went as he wanted to, in his own home in Tilonia, surrounded by some of the countless people who loved and cared for him deeply and passionately," the statement said. Activist Nikhil Dey said the funeral will take place in Tilonia at 4 p.m.

Mr. Roy founded the Social Work and Research Centre, popularly known as Barefoot College, in Tilonia in 1972. What began in a Rajasthan village went on to become an internationally recognised institution for rural development.