MANJUNATH MURDER JUDGEMENT
Does not address oil company role
By Manuwant Choudhary
A district court convicts all eight accused in the murder of Indian Oil Corporation Sales Officer S. Manjunath who was killed in November 2005 at Gala in Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh when he threatened to cancel the licence of Mittal petrol pump on charges of adulteration.
While the judgement deals with the actual crime its ironic that the father of the late Mr. Manjunath Mr. Shanmugam thanks the petroleum minister Murli Deora and IOC employees.
Its ironic because the petroleum company is as much responsible for the killing of Manjunath as the bullets that hit him. All public sector oil companies give huge oil shortages to petrol dealers forcing dealers to either short supply to consumers or adulterate.
This judgement does not go all the way on why petrol pump dealers adulterate and what leads to the actual friction between dealers and sales officers on the ground.
The Bihar Petroleum Dealers Association has warned oil companies that dealers would go on an indefinite strike if shortages do not stop. Every tank lorry of 12000 litres has an average shortage of 150 litres.
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