Indian Express; Fri Nov 19 2010,
The RTI forum formed by the Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow (IIM-L) student Amitabh Thakur has decided to put forward the names of Manjunath Shanmugam and Satyendra Dubey for Padma awards.
The decision was taken at a meeting attended by the students and social activists at the institute’s Lucknow campus on Thursday to mark the fifth death anniversary of Manjunath — an IIM-L alumnus, who was murdered on November 19, 2005 for resisting corruption and malpractices by an Indian Oil Corporation dealer.
Dubey, an IIT-Kanpur graduate, was also murdered under somewhat similar circumstances while working for the National Highway Authority of India.
“Through their sacrifice, both had set an example for future generations. Therefore, we will be pleading for Padma awards for them,” said forum secretary Nutan Thakur.
They had already submitted a petition to the President and started an online campaign on a social networking site, where about 1,000 people have signed a petition, she added.
Students from the top management institutes across the country including the six IIMs will hold a candlelight vigil on Friday in Manjunath’s memory.
Samrat Kabiraj, a coordinator of the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust (IIM-L chapter) said: “This year, some more colleges are participating in the programme to mark Manjunath’s fifth death anniversary. Like each year, we will hold a candlelight march on the campus and take a pledge of honesty and integrity.”
This is Manjunath’s first death anniversary after the Allahabad High Court, in a judgment in December last year, had upheld the life imprisonment of the six accused.
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