S. Manjunath
Encyclopedia
Shanmugam Manjunath (1978 Kolar
-2005) was a marketing manager
(grade A officer) for the Indian Oil Corporation
(IOC) who was murdered for sealing a corrupt petrol station in UP. This incident inspired several students at IIM
, IIT
and other institutes.
, Mysore, and an MBA from Indian Institute of Management Lucknow
.
, he had ordered two petrol pumps at Lakhimpur Kheri
sealed for selling adulterated
fuel for three months. When the pump started operating again a month later, Manjunath decided to conduct a surprise raid around November 19, 2005.
Having not heard from his son for three days, at around 9 that night, his father, M Shanmughan, had sent an SMS
: "How are you?". There was no reply because that very night, during his inspection, Manjunath had been shot dead in Gola Gokarannath
town of Lakhimpur Kheri. His body, riddled with at least six bullets, was found in the backseat of his own car, which was being driven by two employees of the petrol pump. Both were arrested and the main accused, pump-owner Pawan Kumar ('Monu') Mittal, was held on November 23 along with seven others.
, suspected to have been for similar reasons (fighting corruption). Following the murder, there was immense media spotlight on the case. S. Manjunath's batchmates from IIM Lucknow (where he was affectionately called machan) also kept the story alive.
Fortunately, the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust took up the case with dogged determination. The Trust lawyer Mr. I.B Singh, the Public Prosecutor Sri Chandramohan Singh, Trustees, volunteers and supporters worked hard to ensure quick justice. 16 months after the murder, all eight accused were found guilty by the Lakhimpur Khiri Sessions Court. The main accused, Monu Mittal and 7 accomplices were convicted of murder by Sessions judge, Lakhimpur Kheri.
Bail appeals by the convicted killers are being heard in the Lucknow High Court - the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust lawyer Mr. I.B Singh continues to work closely with the case. Petrol pump owner Pawan Kumar Mittal, the main accused in the sensational murder of Indian Oil sales manager Manjunath, was sentenced to death by a district court, while the other seven accused were given life imprisonment on March 21 2005.
Indian Oil Corporation paid Rs. 26 lakhs compensation to the family.
is the adulteration of diesel. The Indian government encourages the use of kerosene as cooking oil by the poor, to reduce the amount of wood used as fuel; kerosene bound for the Public Distribution System
is subsidized by the Indian government.
On 26 March 2007, the main accused Pawan Kumar Mittal was awarded death sentence, while the other seven accused were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Key Initiatives
The Trust runs India's first (and only) National Right To Information Act Helpline.
The 12*7 (8 am - 8 pm) multi language Helpline, serviced by professionally trained call center agents, guides citizens through the features of this powerful tool against corruption.
. The first Manjunath Shanmugam Integrity Award was awarded on March 24, 2007 to Prof. R.P. Singh, Vice Chancellor Lucknow University for his extraordinary courage in taking on criminals and politicians to clean up Lucknow University and implement the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations. The award was presented in a public function by Chairman & Chief Mentor of Infosys Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy.
Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti president Akhil Gogoi
received the prestigious 2nd Shanmugam Manjunath Integrity Award from the Magsaysay awardee Kiran Bedi at a function held on March 28, 2008 at the IIT Delhi Seminar Hall. Mr Gogoi who hails from upper Assam’s Golaghat district has been awarded for his fight against corruption. One of the finalist, IAS officer Sri M.N.Vijayakumar was not allowed to attend the function by his senior Sudhakar Rao (Husband of current foreign secretary Nirupama Rao
) which was widely criticised by his wife Jayashree JN and was also brought to the notice of President of India.
are pursuing the demand of awarding one of the Padma Awards by the Government of India to both Manjunath Shanmugam and Satyendra Dubey
, the IIT Kanpur graduate who was murdered in similar circumstances while working for the National Highway Authority of India. They have already submitted a petition to the President and started an online campaign on a social networking sites and online petition, where more than thousand people already joined.
Kolar
Kolara is a city in the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Kolar District. It is known for being one of the gold mining sites in India....
-2005) was a marketing manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
(grade A officer) for the Indian Oil Corporation
Indian Oil Corporation
Indian Oil Corporation Limited, or IndianOil, is an Indian state-owned oil and gas corporation with its headquarters are in Mumbai, India. It is India’s largest commercial enterprise, ranked 98th on the Fortune Global 500 list for 2011...
(IOC) who was murdered for sealing a corrupt petrol station in UP. This incident inspired several students at IIM
IIM
IIM may refer to:*Indian Institutes of Management, a group of business schools in India*Alternative name for Mexican pop group Flans for 2002 revival, from initials of names Ivonne, Ilse and Mimí...
, IIT
Indian Institutes of Technology
The Indian Institutes of Technology are a group of autonomous engineering and technology-oriented institutes of higher education. The IITs are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 which has declared them as “institutions of national importance”, and lays down their powers, duties,...
and other institutes.
Education
Manjunath earned his Computer Science Engineering degree from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of EngineeringSri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering
Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, popularly known as SJCE, located in Mysore, India, is an autonomous engineering college. It is governed by the Grant-in-Aid rules of the Government of Karnataka.-Beginnings:...
, Mysore, and an MBA from Indian Institute of Management Lucknow
Indian Institute of Management Lucknow
The Indian Institute of Management Lucknow is a business school located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was established in 1984 by the Government of India, and is the fourth Indian Institute of Management to be established.-History:...
.
Opposition to corruption and murder
While working for the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in LucknowLucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, he had ordered two petrol pumps at Lakhimpur Kheri
Lakhimpur Kheri
Lakhimpur Kheri is a district of Uttar Pradesh in the Lucknow division. It is located in India along the border with Nepal. The headquarters of the Lakhimpur Kheri District are situated in the city of Lakhimpur....
sealed for selling adulterated
Adulterant
An adulterant is a chemical substance which should not be contained within other substances for legal or other reasons. Adulterants may be intentionally added to more expensive substances to increase visible quantities and reduce manufacturing costs or for some other deceptive or malicious purpose...
fuel for three months. When the pump started operating again a month later, Manjunath decided to conduct a surprise raid around November 19, 2005.
Having not heard from his son for three days, at around 9 that night, his father, M Shanmughan, had sent an SMS
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
: "How are you?". There was no reply because that very night, during his inspection, Manjunath had been shot dead in Gola Gokarannath
Gola Gokarannath
Gola Gokarannath or Gola Gokaran Nath is a city and a municipal board in Lakhimpur Kheri district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Gola Gokran Nath is famous for its Shiva Temple and BHL sugar Mill. Gola Gokaran Nath is also called 'Chotti Kashi' .-Demographics: India census, Gola...
town of Lakhimpur Kheri. His body, riddled with at least six bullets, was found in the backseat of his own car, which was being driven by two employees of the petrol pump. Both were arrested and the main accused, pump-owner Pawan Kumar ('Monu') Mittal, was held on November 23 along with seven others.
Murder Trial
Manjunath's death came close on the heels of the assassination of Satyendra DubeySatyendra Dubey
Satyendra Kumar Dubey was a project director at the National Highways Authority of India . He was murdered in Gaya, Bihar after fighting corruption in the Golden Quadrilateral highway construction project.-Early life:...
, suspected to have been for similar reasons (fighting corruption). Following the murder, there was immense media spotlight on the case. S. Manjunath's batchmates from IIM Lucknow (where he was affectionately called machan) also kept the story alive.
Fortunately, the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust took up the case with dogged determination. The Trust lawyer Mr. I.B Singh, the Public Prosecutor Sri Chandramohan Singh, Trustees, volunteers and supporters worked hard to ensure quick justice. 16 months after the murder, all eight accused were found guilty by the Lakhimpur Khiri Sessions Court. The main accused, Monu Mittal and 7 accomplices were convicted of murder by Sessions judge, Lakhimpur Kheri.
Bail appeals by the convicted killers are being heard in the Lucknow High Court - the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust lawyer Mr. I.B Singh continues to work closely with the case. Petrol pump owner Pawan Kumar Mittal, the main accused in the sensational murder of Indian Oil sales manager Manjunath, was sentenced to death by a district court, while the other seven accused were given life imprisonment on March 21 2005.
Indian Oil Corporation paid Rs. 26 lakhs compensation to the family.
Kerosene in diesel
A commonplace usage of black market keroseneKerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
is the adulteration of diesel. The Indian government encourages the use of kerosene as cooking oil by the poor, to reduce the amount of wood used as fuel; kerosene bound for the Public Distribution System
Public Distribution System
Public Distribution System is an Indian food security system. Established by the Government of India under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution and managed jointly with state governments in India, it distributes subsidised food and non-food items to India's poor...
is subsidized by the Indian government.
The Manjunath Shanmugam Trust
A pan IIM initiative, "The Manjunath Shanmugam Trust" was registered on 23 February 2006, Manjunath's birth anniversary. With immediate objectives of fighting the case, they have a broader agenda of improving governance in Indian public life.On 26 March 2007, the main accused Pawan Kumar Mittal was awarded death sentence, while the other seven accused were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Key Initiatives
The Trust runs India's first (and only) National Right To Information Act Helpline.
The 12*7 (8 am - 8 pm) multi language Helpline, serviced by professionally trained call center agents, guides citizens through the features of this powerful tool against corruption.
The Manjunath Shanmugam Integrity Award
The Manjunath Shanmugam Integrity Award carries a citation and a Rs. One Lakh Cash Award; to honour those who have reported and worked to rectify systemic corruptionSystemic corruption
Systemic corruption is corruption which is primarily due to a weaknesses of an organisation or process.It can be contrasted with individual officials or agents who act corruptly within the system....
. The first Manjunath Shanmugam Integrity Award was awarded on March 24, 2007 to Prof. R.P. Singh, Vice Chancellor Lucknow University for his extraordinary courage in taking on criminals and politicians to clean up Lucknow University and implement the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations. The award was presented in a public function by Chairman & Chief Mentor of Infosys Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy.
Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti president Akhil Gogoi
Akhil Gogoi
Akhil Gogoi is a peasant leader and an RTI activist from Assam. Over the years he has been leading many anti-graft movements in the state. Akhil came to national attention after he was awarded the Shanmugam Manjunath Integrity Award in 2008 for his relentless fight against corruption and attempts...
received the prestigious 2nd Shanmugam Manjunath Integrity Award from the Magsaysay awardee Kiran Bedi at a function held on March 28, 2008 at the IIT Delhi Seminar Hall. Mr Gogoi who hails from upper Assam’s Golaghat district has been awarded for his fight against corruption. One of the finalist, IAS officer Sri M.N.Vijayakumar was not allowed to attend the function by his senior Sudhakar Rao (Husband of current foreign secretary Nirupama Rao
Nirupama Rao
Nirupama Menon Rao is a 1973 batch Indian Foreign Service officer who is the current Ambassador of India to the United States of America since August 2011...
) which was widely criticised by his wife Jayashree JN and was also brought to the notice of President of India.
Padma Awards for Manjunath
The Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS) and National RTI ForumNational RTI Forum
National RTI Forum is an organization based in Lucknow.The group gives “RTI Gallantry Award”s named after murdered RTI activists Satish Shetty, Shashidhar Mishra and Lalit Mehta. In 2010 the awards were given for the first time to a slain RTI activist Amit Jethwa, a forest officer Sanjiv...
are pursuing the demand of awarding one of the Padma Awards by the Government of India to both Manjunath Shanmugam and Satyendra Dubey
Satyendra Dubey
Satyendra Kumar Dubey was a project director at the National Highways Authority of India . He was murdered in Gaya, Bihar after fighting corruption in the Golden Quadrilateral highway construction project.-Early life:...
, the IIT Kanpur graduate who was murdered in similar circumstances while working for the National Highway Authority of India. They have already submitted a petition to the President and started an online campaign on a social networking sites and online petition, where more than thousand people already joined.
See also
- Satyendra DubeySatyendra DubeySatyendra Kumar Dubey was a project director at the National Highways Authority of India . He was murdered in Gaya, Bihar after fighting corruption in the Golden Quadrilateral highway construction project.-Early life:...
: Assassinated Nov 2003 for whistleblowing on the criminal nexus in highway construction in BiharBiharBihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
.