'Was Satyendra Kumar Dubey's death in vain?' That was the question occupying the minds of professionals, students and writers gathered at the Indian Institute of Technology campus at Powai in Mumbai on Monday night.
IIT Director Ashok Misra chaired the meeting. Prominent speakers at the forum were journalist Sucheta Dalal and rediff.com columnist Dilip D' Souza.
Dubey, an IIT alumni, was an engineer with the National Highway Authority of India. He was apparently murdered for pointing out irregularities in the Golden Quadrilateral Project in Bihar.
Many speakers at the gathering expressed anger at the Prime Minister's Office for failing to keep Dubey's name confidential even after he requested the officials to do so.
They said professionals like engineers and doctors should start taking responsibility of society as politicians were losing the confidence of the people.
Many said the opportunity media campaign must be used to bring about changes in society.
"If we are all serious about the issue, we should lobby for cancellation of contracts and enactment of the Whistle Blower Act," Dalal said.
Deepak, a former student of IIT and an executive with the HDFC bank, appreciated the courage of Dubey to expose corruption. He suggested the need for systematic changes in national level politics.
Many speakers also criticised the government for not introducing the Lokpal Bill. Deepak emphasised the need for introducing the whistle blower act. He also suggested the appointment of a constitutional authority to oversee its implementation.
Siddharth, a student from IIT Kanpur, said that IIT's education makes its alumni realise their responsibilities as human beings. "We are agent of changes, first for our self then for others. IIT students and faculty should think about it and act," he said.
Dilip D'Souza talked at length on corruption in Bihar, in particular, and in rest of the country, in general.
Shailesh Gandhi, chairman of the IIT Bombay Alumni Association, alleged the PMO did not show any interest in Dubey's murder. "They only came forward when the media raised the issue few day after the murder," he said.
