Manjunath Murder: Justice At Last

In a landmark judgment, a district court in Uttar Pradesh, North India on Monday sentenced petrol pump owner Pawan Mittal to the gallows for carrying out the brutal murder of an young IIM (Indian Institute of management) graduate Shanmugham Manjunath. Seven of the other accused involved in the crime were awarded life imprisonment.

This is one of the fastest convictions in the history of our judiciary. For the family of the slain Manjunath, justice at last was meted out and for those who rallied around this case, fighting to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime, it was nothing short of a victory.

In the year 2005 Manjunath was employed as an executive with a top oil company. With a brilliant academic record to back him and as a hard working person, Manjunath had a bright future to look forward to. He hailed from a middle class background and his family was proud of his achievements. For his friends, he was a quiet and sincere person.

His problem was that he was an upright and honest officer who stood up bravely to the corrupt practice of oil adulteration occurring at Mittal petrol pump situated in Gola Gokarannath area of Lakhimpur Kheri town in UP. He refused to be bought by any inducement and bribe as most of them in this country would be easily tempted. Manjunath become a whistle blower and decided to take the matter into his own hands to put an end to the adulteration going on at Mittal petrol pump. Besides threatening to cancel the petrol pump's license for selling adulterated fuel, he had earlier levied a hefty fine of Rs 75, 000.

For his act of bravado Manjunath paid with his life. On Nov 19th 2005 he was shot dead in cold blood by the petrol pump owner Pawan Mittal and his seven goons.

An innocent officer done to death for exposing the corrupt racket sent shock waves though the nation. His family consisting of his aged mother and father and a younger brother plunged into untold grief. His friends from the IIM Alumni rallied to gather and lead a national campaign to bring to justice those who perpetrated this most heinous crime.

They formed a trust known as Manjunath Shanmugham trust to fight the case and give moral support to his family The national press and television acted as the nation's conscience keeper by highlighting the case and keeping it focused in public domain.

Yesterday was the judgment day in which the Manjunath's murderer Pawan Mittal was sentenced to death and his seven accomplices was given life sentence. The whole nation sighed in relief at the outcome of the case and appreciated the exemplary manner in which judges acted decisively.

Reacting to the judgment, Manjunath's family expressed satisfaction and thanked the judges and his friends. However they expressed that it would have been more heartening if all the accused were sentenced to death. They are determined to fight the case further if the accused appeal to the high court for revision of the case.

Corruption at all levels of our society is the malaise that continues to become the bane of our nation that is riding high on Globalisation. Manjunath led by example, fighting corruption single-handedly and laid down his life. Now it is up to us to keep up his legacy alive, as the fight against corruption is a long drawn battle.