Petrol pump raids revive memory of Manjunath
Manjunath, the plucky IIM-L alumnus and a sales officer with IOC, was murdered for his crusade against adulterated fuel.
LUCKNOW Police raids against petrol pumps in Lucknow which were dispensing under-measured fuel to customers have refreshed the 12-year-old ghastly murder of IIM- Lucknow graduate Manjunath Shanmugam (2003 batch). Manjunath, sales officer of the Indian Oil Corporation, was murdered in Lakhimpur Kheri on November 19, 2005 by a petrol pump owner and his accomplices for launching a crusade against adulterated fuel.
Raghavendran, younger brother of Manjunath told HT on phone from Bengaluru, “The onus is on the petrol companies to raid pumps. They should take help of the police and carry out such raids. For years, pump owners have cheated customers. Good to see there is some action in the state capital of Uttar Pradesh.”
Senior advocate IB Singh, who contested the Manjunath murder case and got the culprits convicted, said the motive behind Manjunath’s murder was exactly the same, as he had launched a drive against malpractices at filling stations. The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court had pronounced life imprisonment to seven people, including the petrol pump owner in 2009.
Singh said the government and enforcement agencies should consider such malpractices as heinous crime and should initiate stern measures to curb them.
Read more| UP petrol pump racket: Tampered dispensers, less fuel, Rs 200 cr profit a month
A few years after Manjunath’s death, an eponymous biopic ‘Manjunath’, aiming to drive home a strong message against corruption, gained media attention. Sandeep A Varma, director of the film told Hindustan Times that police action against the petrol pumps dispensing less fuel was a welcome move. “The government needs to do much more. We all know the pumps were engaged in foul practices. But it was Manjunath who made it national news by taking bullets in his body,” director said.
The student community is keeping a close tab on the development in Lucknow. Sharath, a fresh graduate from IIM-L of 2017 batch said, “Manjunath is IIM-L’s pride. He is a hero and a role model for the B-School.”
Read more: Electrician who installed electronic chips nabbed
Manjunath Shanmugam was an executive of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at Lakhimpur Kheri and was shot dead at a petrol pump in the same district. His body was recovered from a secluded area on the border of Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur districts. Manjunath had warned the pump owner that his filling station would be sealed for selling adulterated diesel. On the day of his murder, Manjunath had gone to the check the oil quality at the pump.
Read more: Uttar Pradesh police form SIT to probe multi-crore petrol pump scam