Manjunath’s murder is symptomatic of the malaise in the system.
The earnest officer was being honest and fearless. He was perhaps too idealistic in the state of U.P. Here, you are expected to buckle down and accept injustice and unfairness. Here, you are expected to only see all the corruption and decay around you silently and possibly crib about this to your wife and friends. You are expected to slowly become a part of the same rotten system and start making money by being a player yourself. You are expected to throw the teachings of your conscientious parents and maybe Ayn Rand into the nearest dustbin and start chasing the average Indian dream of a three bed-room house with two airconditioners and one sedan. So what, if on the way to the dream, you do not recognise yourself in the mirror and you just see hollow eyes and a charred heart.
Manjunath refused to do that and he paid such a heavy price. I am appalled that the perpetrators of the crime even thought of committing such an act in cold blood and then getting away with it. In the process the utter lawlessness in the state of UP has been exposed.
It is a tribute to the Indian media that they have painstakingly followed up the story and given it the necessary exposure. NDTV and other channels besides several leading newspapers (led by Indian Express) have played an outstanding role in building up public consciousness.
However the IOC management and the government remain silent. Is it the silence of the guilty or the silence of the cornered?
The other question is that obviously the adulteration is not happening for the first time. According to some news reports, it is a racket of ten thousand crore rupees. So for the scam to be of this extent 1) either the other persons in charge have turned a blind eye out of fear and/or self-interest 2) or, the checking processes are inadequate. On both counts, it indicts the IOC top management and the oil ministry.
Manjunath’s sad end can be sanctified only if these larger issues are addressed.
Manjunath refused to do that and he paid such a heavy price. I am appalled that the perpetrators of the crime even thought of committing such an act in cold blood and then getting away with it. In the process the utter lawlessness in the state of UP has been exposed.
It is a tribute to the Indian media that they have painstakingly followed up the story and given it the necessary exposure. NDTV and other channels besides several leading newspapers (led by Indian Express) have played an outstanding role in building up public consciousness.
However the IOC management and the government remain silent. Is it the silence of the guilty or the silence of the cornered?
The other question is that obviously the adulteration is not happening for the first time. According to some news reports, it is a racket of ten thousand crore rupees. So for the scam to be of this extent 1) either the other persons in charge have turned a blind eye out of fear and/or self-interest 2) or, the checking processes are inadequate. On both counts, it indicts the IOC top management and the oil ministry.
Manjunath’s sad end can be sanctified only if these larger issues are addressed.
1 comment:
It is better to die on youur feet than to stand on your knees. The courage shown by Manjunath is a testimony to the fact that there are still people who have the courage to fight against corruption. We need to fight against this malice.
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