The mood was somber as students at the institute remembered IIM Lucknow alumnus, Manjunath Shanmugam, on his fifth death anniversary.
At a time when the entire nation was rocked by a series of scams, involving billions of rupees, future managers at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) on Friday remembered a “hero” who gave up his life fighting against corruption.
The mood was somber as students at the institute remembered IIM Lucknow alumnus, Manjunath Shanmugam, on his fifth death anniversary.
A candle light vigil was organised at the campus to recall the bravery of Manjunath, an Indian Oil Corp. Ltd (IOCL) employee, who was killed in the line of duty by oil mafia at Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh.
Manjunath, then 27, a native of Kolar, was brutally killed by a petrol pump owner and his accomplices, as he exposed their malpractices. About 100 students of the institute came together in the evening for a peace march at the campus. Thereafter, they assembled at the institute’s open-air theatre and together took an oath to fight against corruption in public life, a cause for which Manjunath gave up his life.
“Manjunath is a hero figure for us. He gave up his life fighting against corruption. We have come together to carry forward his legacy by taking the oath to fight against corruption,” said Mansi B, a first year post graduate programme in management (PGP) student at IIMB.
Reema, another IIMB student, said that youth had to take a lead in fighting corruption in public life. “Manjunath’s sacrifice should not go in vain. He is an inspiration for the entire nation. We salute him for his courage to stand upright, even in the face of death,” said Reema.
In order to honour the martyr and uphold his philosophy, alumni of IIMs across the globe came together to form Manjunath Shanmugam Trust.
The trust was born on February 23, 2006, on Machan’s (as popularly known to his friends) 28th birth anniversary. It is an international IIM alumni initiative and works to improve governance in public life.
Every year on Manjunath’s death anniversary, the trust organises a nation-wide candle light march where students from colleges across India participate. “This is done in order to encourage the Indian youth to stir nationwide consciousness against corruption. After the candle light march the students take a pledge in Manju’s honour to uphold the values of honesty and integrity in their daily lives,” said a member of the trust.
Some of the colleges which took part to commemorate Manjunath’s 5th death anniversary were IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Lucknow, IIM Lucknow - Noida Campus, IIM Indore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Shillong, XLRI Jamshedpur, XIMB Bhubaneshwar, TAPMI Manipal, IMT Ghaziabad, SIBM Bangalore, and TISS Mumbai.
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