5 Civil Servants Who Gave Their Lives in Service to the Nation
As the country gears up to celebrate India’s 75th Independence Day this year, we recall the contributions of brave officers who displayed qualities of gallantry, nerve and courage.
These are the civil servants of India. They have led the country down the right path in their own capacity.
Here’s a glimpse of five among many others, who never let fear cloud their sense of duty.
1. Satyendra Dubey, IESWhen this Indian Engineering Service officer witnessed corruption during the Central government’s Golden Quadrilateral Highway construction project, he couldn’t keep silent.
In a long letter to PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he exposed the culprits. But, this did not end well and he was murdered in November 2003.
However, he did not die in vain. Following his death, the Right to Information Act was passed in 2005.
2. Narendra Kumar, IPSAs an IPS officer posted in Bihar, Narendra Kumar was bent on stopping illegal stone mining in the area.
While the locals were all praise, the mining mafia was not.
In March 2012, when he attempted to stop a tractor carrying illegally mined stones, by standing in front of it, the driver continued forward, crushing him to death.
3. Randhir Prasad Verma, IPSThe city of Dhanbad called him a ‘legend’, as he eliminated many criminal gangs during his tenure.
One such incident was on 3 January 1991. During a heist in the Hirapur branch of the Bank of India, the staff had been tied up.
Verma reached the site and fought the robbers single-handedly, managing to save the lives of the staff. Unfortunately, the incident ended with him being shot and killed.
4. SP Mahantesh, Administrative OfficerSP Mahantesh, a Karnataka Administrative Officer, was intent on going to the root of every scam when he assumed office.
In this quest to bring justice to the forefront, on 15 May 2013 he was brutally attacked by a group of miscreants. After battling severe head injuries for five days, he breathed his last.
5. Shanmugam Manjunath, Grade A OfficerDuring his tenure as a Grade A officer at the Indian Oil Corporation in Lucknow, Manjunath had ordered two petrol pumps at Lakhimpur Kheri sealed.
They had been selling adulterated fuel for three months.
When the pump started operating again, he conducted a surprise raid in November 2005 but was shot during the inspection. His body was recovered from the backseat of his car.