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Slain IOC official's kin given compensation

Bangalore Bureau

Union Minister and the IOC Chairman visit his residence in KGF

KOLAR GOLD FIELDS (BANGALORE): The family of Manjunath Shanmugam, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) executive who was murdered by the oil mafia in Uttar Pradesh on November 19, on Thursday received a compensation of Rs. 26 lakhs from the company.

Union Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways K.H. Muniyappa visited Manjunath's residence at Viveknagar in Kolar Gold Fields and presented a cheque for Rs. 26 lakhs to his parents. The Minister represents Kolar in the Lok Sabha.

Manjunath, a 27-year-old graduate of the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, was a field officer of the IOC in Uttar Pradesh. He was allegedly shot dead by a petrol station owner in Lakhimpur Kheri after he detected that kerosene, supplied through the Public Distribution System, was being mixed with diesel.

He is the second highly educated whistleblower to be done to death for exposing corruption. The earlier case, which received nationwide attention, was the killing of a young graduate from an Indian Institute of Technology, who had been working with the National Highways Corporation, for exposing corruption in the Golden Quadrilateral Project in Bihar.

Mr. Muniyappa told presspersons that Union Minister for Petroleum Mani Shankar Aiyar had agreed to his request to announce a financial package of Rs. 26 lakhs for Manjunath's family. He expressed his concern to Mr. Aiyar over the killing. Acting on his request, the IOC completed the formalities and the cheque could be presented.

IOC Chairman Sarthak Behuria was present on the occasion. The Minister said the IOC has agreed to provide employment to a member of Manjunath's family.

Shanmugam, Manjunath's father, urged the Minister and the IOC Chairman to sanction an LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) distributorship in Bangalore to Manjunath's mother and provide employment to one of his sons. He also sought additional compensation. He requested the IOC authorities to recommend Manjunath's name for the National Bravery Award. The Minister and the IOC Chairman said they would consider the requests sympathetically.

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