Contractor mafia not involved in Dubey’s murder: CBI report

Contractor mafia not involved in Dubey’s murder: CBI report

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/10407.html

Express News Service

Posted online: Saturday, August 12, 2006 at 0000 hrs

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 11:The CBI has reiterated before the Supreme Court that there is no invlovement of any contractor mafia in the murder of NHAI engineer Satyendra Kumar Dubey. Instead, investigations had established that Larsen and Toubro, which was the main contractor for the road works, had violated contract conditions in sub-letting the work, it said.

‘‘During the investigation of Satyendra Kumar Dubey’s murder case, involvement of any contractor/mafia was not found. Investigations named four accused — Mantu Kumar, Udai Kumar, Pinku Ravidas and Shravan Kumar, all residents of Katari village in Gaya, Bihar. They were arrested and the CBI also recovered Dubey’s personal belongings and the weapon used in the crime on the disclosure statements of the accused,’’ the status report filed by CBI in court said.

The report has been filed in response to a PIL seeking an independent Supreme Court-monitored probe into the murder.

‘‘Accused Shravan Kumar gave full and voluntary disclosure about the incident and he has been made an approver and given pardon by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Gaya,’’ the report said.

The agency, however, claimed that it had found to be correct charges of sub-contracting as mentioned in the letter of Dubey to the PMO.

It said a case had been registered against S.K. Soni, former project director of NHAI, Koderma, and others on allegation of criminal misconduct for causing undue pecuniary advantage for the contractor, who sub-contracted the road construction work to unapproved and incompetent agencies against contract provisions.

Meanwhile, petitioner — Parivartan, an NGO — today opposed the report and said there was a total lack of progress in the probe and apparent lack of will to unearth the truth.

‘‘The CBI has deliberately let off the rickshaw-puller who was the sole independent eyewitness to the crime,’’ the NGO said in an affidavit. ‘‘CBI has concluded this was a robbery, when it has been clearly stated by the local police that robbery-related murders are almost nil in that region… The CBI has also ignored the statement by the SP that the evidences indicate very clearly that this was not a robbery,’’ it added.

editor@expressindia.com

Commercial Interest Of Kalyan Panda was evident from the very beginning in SKDF. Ashutosh Aman Mishra and Atal Bansal forgot the MESSAGE of martyr SKD

Commercial Interest Of Kalyan Panda was evident from the very beginning.

He was interested in Film making than posting the Satyendra Dubey letter in easy to down load and printable format. And circulate it free all over the world.

Ravinder Singh

Forwarded Message [ Download File | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

Date:	Mon, 29 Dec 2003 23:35:05 -0800 (PST)
From:	"R Singh" <corruptionfree04@yahoo.com>
Subject:	WORKS OF S.K.DUBEY
To:	skdubeyFoundation@yahoogroups.com

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

Dear Friends,

It is much more important to the world know the issues of corruption raised by Sh Dubey.

The letter which exposed the corruption be mailed to all, be available as Word or PDF document, – colleges, associations involved in anti-corruption activities which explains everything. Some news channels have covered the story reasonably well, it for us to go after the corrupt and corruption and others to stand up.

His letter shall inspire all young engineers.

best wishes

Ravinder

kalyan panda <kalyan_panda@yahoo.co.in> wrote:

Mr.Nair

for transmission I require either VHS Cassette or VCD 

DVD will also do

regards

panda

Vijit Nair <vijitnair@softhome.net> wrote:

Dear Mr. Panda

I am in the process of preparing a short documentary on the life and work of Shri Dubeyji. I shall try to get it by 2-3 jan and probably u will be able to broadcast it to ur viewers. It may be about 2-3 mins in Macromedia Flash. Is there anything specific that i have to keep in mind for i do not know bout what u guys need such transmission.

I will give u a call soon and we acn decide details if any..

Regards
Vijit
----- Original Message -----
From: kalyan panda
To: vijitnair@softhome.net
Sent: Sunday, December 28, 2003 1:54 PM
Subject: contact

Dear Sir Mr. Anand has given yr id to contact
I am a cable tv consultant in Mumbai
regards
panda

KALYAN PANDA 33932602
Yahoo! India Mobile: Ringtones, Wallpapers, Picture Messages and more. Download now.

KALYAN PANDA 33932602

 

SKDF failed to use the good will and support of Indian Express in seeking justice for Dubey. Ashutosh Aman Mishra has Failed in this as Director of SKDF

Ashutosh Aman Mishra, Atal Bansal and Moderator Kalyan Panda have FAILED in their duties in SKDF.

THREE of them in SKDF drove away members from SKDF, when members raised questions about ACCOUNTABILITY.

Moderator Kalyan Panda instead of following the MESSAGE of martyr SKD, He used SKDF to MALIGN current WHISTLEBLOWERS.

Moderator Kalyan Panda has IMPLANTED emails in SKDF Yahoogroup to settle personal scores.

These THREE did not even understand the MESSAGE of martyr SKD and helped in DERAILING the CBI Investigation.

PIL filed by SKDF was BUNGLED by asking concentrating only in BIHAR STATE. martyr SKD had written a CHARGESHEET to PMO.

The Saga of Satyendra Dubey by Shabnam Minwalla, A Senior Journalist:[Question from all of us now is why martyr SKD letdown by Atal Bansal, Ashutosh Aman Mishra and SKDF?]

The Saga of Satyendra Dubey

Shabnam Minwalla, A Senior Journalist

On the last Sunday of November, newspaper readers in the country woke up to a six-column headline and a dismal sense of deja vu.

`Whistle-blower said don’t name me. Govt did. He was shot dead’ told a shocking tale. But although the details were new, the essence was familiar recounting the hopeless struggle of an individual against a venal,all-powerful system. And although Bollywood gives its gun-toting vigilantes a fighting chance, most of us know that reality is much more dismissive of lone crusaders.

Despite the appalled reactions–everything ranging from the predictable `This country is really going to the dogs’ to the resigned `There is no way out of this mess’ the story seemed headed for the attic like so many others of its ilk. Except that the Indian Express decided to follow up on its exclusive and managed to uncover even more horrific details. And that IITians around the world came together to voice their anger over the plight of their Institute-mate. Indeed, the murder of Satyendra Dubey seemed to break through the wall of apathy and force people to speak up.

Behind the death of the thin, bespectacled engineer on November 27, 2003, lies the story of a remarkable life. Born in Shahpur village in Bihar, five kilometers from the nearest telephone pole, Satyendra was the son of a clerk in a sugar factory. He topped his village school in the Std X exams and is famous as its only alumnus to have gained admission in an IIT. The earnest youngster got into the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT (Kanpur) in 1990 and, despite initial problems with language and grades he graduated with excellent marks.

Although an array of glittering tomorrows anything from a scholarship at an American university to a high-paying private sector job in an Indian metro beckoned, Satyendra opted to work for “his country”. So in 1996 he joined the Ministry of Surface Transport as an Assistant Executive Engineer.

Of course, cynics could well have sneered that this was the most lucrative option of them all. But Satyendra proved them wrong four years later when he angrily turned down his first cash-stuffed envelope and with that the opportunity to spruce up his parents’ humble, hay-strewn house, buy a few gadgets for himself, and sweeten life for his six siblings. It was, however, after he was put in charge of a 60-km, 450-crore stretch of the Golden Quadrilateral Project that he encountered full-blown, institutionalised corruption.

Soon after his transfer to Koderma in June 2002, Satyendra realised just how deep the rot had spread and just how much dross was being foisted on the country in the name of the Golden Quadrilateral. He happened upon sloppy project reports, contracts awarded on the basis of forged documents, huge advances doled out to contractors and rampant subletting to petty contractors who lacked the technical ability to work on this mega-project. And everybody, from government engineers to MNC construction companies to local thugs seemed involved in what he described as a “loot of public money”.

Like so many of us who consider ourselves honest and superior, Satyendra could well have satisfied his conscience by refusing to participate in the corrupt activities. But the 31-year-old felt compelled to go one step further and tackle the mess. On November 11, 2002 he sent a letter to the Prime Minister, describing the nightmarish turn that this dream project had taken.

Of course, Satyendra realised he was challenging dangerous elements–but he understood the functioning of government well enough to know that an unsigned letter would go straight into the waste bin. So putting his life and faith in the hands of the PMO, he attached his name on a separate sheet of paper and requested that his identity be kept a secret.

That this faith was misplaced soon became apparent. The PMO didn’t bother either to investigate the charges of corruption or to protect the identity of its courageous informant.

Indeed, Satyendra’s letter yielded only negative results–threats from those he had complained against and a reprimand from his bosses at NHAI for writing to the PM. For in an act of murderous negligence, the PMO handed over both the letter and the sheet with Satyendra’s particulars to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. There, at least eight officials scanned it before passing it on to the National Highway Authority of India. Which was why it was hardly surprising that the informant’s identity was leaked to the culpable contractors and officials in Koderma.

Little wonder then that lots of feathers were ruffled and financial interests threatened when it transpired that Satyendra who had meanwhile been transferred to Gaya in Bihar was to return to Koderma as one of the big bosses. As project director he would be in charge of releasing funds for an extensive swathe of the under-construction highway. And someone decided that there was just too much to lose.

At 3am on November 27, 2003, Satyendra arrived at the Gaya railway station from a trip, only to find that his car was nowhere in sight. Upon calling home and finding that the Tata Sumo had encountered starting trouble (possibly a sabotage), he decided to take a rickshaw. Somewhere along the way he was shot dead by unidentified assailants.

As is routinely the case with such inconvenient investigations, it’s very likely that this murder case would have been relegated to the dump of unsolved cases in Bihar. Except that something about this story touched a chord of indignation in the country. Perhaps it was the fact that Satyendra was a golden boy from IIT; perhaps it was the heartbreaking photograph of his parents in their bare, impoverished house; perhaps it was the initial indifference of the PMO which excused itself by saying, “Numerous letters come in everyday..”

The outcome of that collective anger is remarkable: almost 50,000 citizens have signed a petition demanding action from the government, the media is closely monitoring the twists and turns taken by an increasingly bizarre investigation. The PMO and the Government went into an extensive coverup mode after nine days. Most heartening is the widespread outpouring of support and sorrow from a cross-section of society. “Make all those rascal contractors sleep on the road next to each other and run them over by a roadroller,” wrote an agitated individual to the Indian Express last month, voicing a common sentiment. Concurred another, “Every official who signed that letter and refused to act should be sacked. The PMO must be made to apologise publicly.”

Indeed, it is important to punish the guilty not only those shadowy individuals who pulled the trigger but also the officials who, while ignoring his request for confidentiality and passing around his letter, virtually signed Satyendra’s death warrant. But while we demand accountability from others, we also need to acknowledge our own responsibility, to understand that every time we remain silent when a friend slips a fifty to a hawaldar or brags about pataoing a customs officer, we are contributing to the forces that killed Satyendra.

In a country starved of icons, Satyendra Dubey stands for much more than impressive batting figures or silver-screen charm, he stands for the realisation that every individual has a role to play in the battle against corruption. As one letter-writer pointed out, “If we do nothing beyond writing a few angry letters to the media or the PMO, the deeply-entrenched mafia will be back in a short while. It is time we united and did something more concrete.” This realisation can achieve much more than avenging a single death it can save lives of the Satyendras of tomorrow.

——————————————————————————–

Epilogue by shailesh : The case was taken over by the CBI from the Bihar police. They took custody of the rickshaw puller Pradeep Kumar, who had reportedly witnessed the murder and took him to Delhi. It was declared that Satyendra was killed by robbers. Pradeep Kumar was seen around the CBI office for about two weeks. After that he is reported missing.

The CBI also took two people for questioning Mukendra Paswan and Sheonath Saha. They have died of poisoning. All of this happened by end of January, 2004.

Dhananjay Dube (Satyendra’s younger brother) lamented after this; ” I read the complete news about the two suicides………Now any hope that was there for justice has vanished……Really no hope left….. “

There has been no investigation into the corruption charges detailed by Satyendra Dubey.

——————————————————————————–

Born on 11th of March, 1973 in Shahpur village in Siwan district of Bihar about 15 kilometers from the birthplace of Dr Rajendra Prasad, first president of independent India.
Father: Sh Bageshwari Dubey, a clerk in the nearby Sugar factory earning a small salary.
Mother: Smt Lalmati Dubey, housewife.
Brother: Dhananjay, doing B. Tech. from Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University.
Sisters: 5 sisters. Two sisters Suman and Manju who are elder to him are married. One younger sister Pushpa is also married. Two younger sisters Kusum and Bebi are doing their graduation from Delhi University.

___________________________________________________________________

Sequel to the Satyendra Dubey saga:[Question from all of us is that why Atal Bansal and Ashutosh Aman Mishra in SKDF did not carry out the MESSAGE of martyr SKD? ]

Sequel to the Satyendra Dubey saga:

Needed: Commitment to Satya

In November 2003, when Satyendra Dubey was murdered, he was lauded as a symbol of courage. Fellow IIT Alumni around the world lionized Satyendra as a martyr who lost his life for fighting against corruption. All across India, public meetings were held to protest against the murder and to honor Satyendra. The All India Management Association posthumously gave him the Service Excellence Award. UK’s Index on Censorship magazine awarded him the “Index Whistleblower Award”. He was given Transparency International’s “Annual Integrity Award”. Media coverage of the Satyendra story made it sound like the beginning of a revolution for honesty and integrity in public life.

The excitement and passion for honesty in public life faded and the desecration of Satyendra’s martyrdom was accepted by June, 2004.This raises the question: were the earlier actions honoring Satyendra’s acts inspired by a social commitment or a mere fleeting fancy?

Let us first briefly review the sequence of events.

* In November 2002, Satyendra Dubey sent a letter to the PMO
detailing systemic corruption in the National Highway Authority of India. He named four contractors and gave details of their misdeeds. In order to protect himself, he also made a special request that his name be kept secret when the PMO investigated the matter.

* Satyendra’s name was not protected and the file containing his complaint was circulated to various offices. This was like issuing a public contract for his life.

* A year later, on 27, November 2003, Satyendra was murdered in Gaya, the town where he lived and worked for NHAI.

* News reports about Satyendra’s murder stirred the Nation and unleashed a storm of outrage.

* Within days the Prime Minister’s Office and NHAI issued statements defending themselves and trivializing Satyendra’s death.

* On December 14th, 2003, the case was handed over to the CBI.

* By 26th December, the CBI said that according to the evidence given by rickshaw puller Pradeep Kumar, Satyendra had been killed when resisting thieves who were trying to rob him. Most people refused to believe this and the CBI’s explanation further intensified the public outrage.

* In mid-January, 2004 key witness, Pradeep Kumar, “disappeared”.

* Two other witnesses, who were interrogated by the
CBI in this case, allegedly committed suicide within a day in the end of January.

* There was no investigation of these murky happenings or the CBI’s role in these suspicious deaths. After keeping quiet for about six months, the CBI again repeated the earlier story in June 2004.

* There has been no public investigation of the alleged corruption within the NHAI and thus no attempt to set things right.

In light of this sequence of events the posthumous honors heaped on Satyendra seem like a mockery. How can we on the one hand honor Satyendra and on the other hand allow the CBI to get away with the claim that he is the random victim of a common thief who killed him to get hold of Rs.4500?

If the CBI story is true then all of us who saw Satyendra as a martyr to honesty, have to admit that he was an ordinary person and the awards, public adulation and hero worship were all a big mistake. It means then that the Satyendra saga is a collective fiction -a falsehood created to fulfill our desperate need of a hero for honesty. Most people do not accept the CBI’s claims and view its handling of this case as a cover-up. Enough people know that the CBI’s investigation is now itself a matter that needs to be investigated. Yet there is no public clamor demanding accountability from either the CBI—or the Prime
Minister’s Office, where the buck really stops.

However, it is still not too late to act. If all the institutions, which honored Satyendra as a martyr, again raise their voice, the truth could still be brought to light. The institutions should do this not merely for the sake of honoring whistle blowers but for salvaging their own credibility. Otherwise the next time the All India Management Association or the IIT Alumni Association talk about the importance of good governance, they will seem shallow and lack credibility.

Even worse, our failure to take effective action will be a signal of both our apathy and our collective fear in dealing with the Government. The primary reason for the affluence of the
developed nations is a public culture of insistence on accountability and honesty in both public and private life. What is really at stake here is this process of evolving such a culture. Satyendra Dubey is important to this struggle, not as an individual, but as a symbol of courage and honesty.

The question most people ask is: “But what can we do?” The simple answer is to find multiple ways of raising a clamour about the following demands:

One: The PMO must reveal the names of the officers who passed on Satyendra’s letter without protecting his identity and take action against them. Similarly action must be taken against the officers in the Ministry of Roads and Transport who circulated the file with Satyendra’s letter to all and sundry.

Two: There must be an open public investigation into the charges of corruption detailed in Satyendra’s letter.

Three: The CBI must explain how and why one witness to Dubey’s murder is missing and two other people died within 24 hours of being interrogated by the CBI.

Our collective failure to get action on these points will not just mean that other honest people will be ever more reluctant to blow the whistle on corruption. More significantly it will mean that our aspiration of making India a world-class economy is a shallow pipe dream. We must create conditions where honesty is honoured, not desecrated.

shailesh Gandhi

A petition on line was started and sent to the Prime Minister of India.

The answer was a deafening silence.

14-Sep-04

To,

The Prime Minister of India,

7, Race Course Road,

New Delhi –1.

Sub.: The martyrdom of Satyendra Dubey.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

I send this letter to you with a lot of hope. First,- a hope that you will actually read this letter. A hope that you will recognize the importance of the issues being raised in this letter,- of bringing honesty to the agenda of the Nation. Specific issues on the Satyendra Dubey martyrdom have been highlighted in the accompanying letters sent by various Citizens. There is also an e-petition at www.satyamevajayate.info with about 900 signatories.

Please consider Mr. Prime Minister, why have we been shorn of any heroes of National acceptance in the post-independence era? There have been many others like this Indra of Satya who have made valiant attempts to bring honesty to the agenda of the Country. Most attempts are crushed. A Nation needs to honour the honest. Satyendra Dubey approached the PMO with a complaint without any personal motive about large-scale generic corruption in the NHAI. Though he requested that his name be kept secret, it was flaunted about for everyone to see. He was killed in a clear attempt to silence his crusade for honesty, whereas the CBI has after over six months claimed to have solved the case by claiming Satyendra died while resisting ‘thieves’. Various citizens have raised relevant issues about this with CBI, NHAI and others, to no avail. If our heroes before independence had to face such a dishonest structure, perhaps all of them would have been shown as having been murdered by thugs and dacoits.

A number of arguments highlighting the obvious flaws in the investigations so far are given in the accompanying letters. Please sir, do spend a little time on this matter, since it concerns the truth. If you can spare ten minutes, I would be very happy to come and meet you to appraise you about the facts of this case.

With a lot of hope,

Yours truly,

Shailesh Gandhi

Chairman, IITB Alumni Association

Mob: 09820027305.

Key issues raised by Stayendra Dubey which have not been answered

Satyendra’s letter gave the names Centrodosity of Russia, China Coal of China, LG of S.Korea and Pioneer Constructions Ltd. as being guilty of taking the contracts by manipulation and bribing and subsequently giving it away to subcontractors and making huge profits without doing any value adding work. He also talks of upto Rs. 40 crores being given to a single contractor as mobilisation advance, which is evidently diverted, -partly to pay the bribes. Equipment advances are also being given.

There is no justification for giving advances to Contractors. If they do not have the financial capacity to do the jobs they should not be awarded the contracts. The buyer is the Government of India, and the corrupt practices highlighted by Satyendra are probably a routine in most of the Infrastructure projects. Customs and excise duty waivers mean that the budget of India indirectly subsidises the work and makes mechanization appear cheaper than it really it is. Needless to say that the equipment stays on and is used elsewhere. This in turn leads to making mechanization appear far cheaper than it really is. Why is it that no serious investigation has been done on the detailed allegations made by Satyendra? The true reason is that they point to a serious rot in the entire rush for big projects.

Raj Kamal Jha ending his letter to Satyendra Dubey in a moving ‘Ode to a Mate’ wrote, ‘But the next time-and there will be a next time- there is a Satyendra Dubey, from IIT or wherever, who walks into a lonely place to blow the whistle, he will look right and left. He will look over his shoulder, it will be cold, the wind will blow hard, and he will then look up. And he will see you shining there.’

Yes Satyendra,-he will see you and take the right lesson- honesty will not be tolerated. If he is foolish enough to sacrifice his life, we will first make a National past time of honouring him, but ultimately desecrate the memory of his death.

The issue is not only about the Indra of Satya. The minimum ethical stand we need to take is that when as Institutions, Organisations, or Media, we do not compromise our public stand on honesty. Whenever these Institutions deviate, others must challenge them. It is far better to admit mistakes than to pretend we are infallible. To refuse to admit errors is becoming a characteristic of our entire leadership from the political, bureaucratic, business or intellectual class. If all the institutions which honoured Satyendra’s memory raise their voice,-at least for the sake of their own credibility,- the truth will come out. This can have a positive effect on economy and good governance, leading to a more ethical, sustainable and equitable society. Honesty is a value, which is basic to the well being of a society. As individuals and as a society, we have to bring it to the center stage of our National agenda and debate. In the first five decades of the last century, Satyagraha was the prime mover of our nation. The primary reason for the affluence of the Developed Nations is also an insistence on Honesty privately and publicly. In India when Business or professional interests are at stake, people bond together to safeguard themselves and get more. The organized workers have also managed to defend their own turf. Who will defend Satya?

And without Satya can there be a better India?

shailesh gandhi

SKDF did not follow up with PRESS and COURTS to turn the Satyendra Dubey letter to PMO dated November 11, 2002 in to a charge sheet. Shows FAILURE of Ashutosh Aman Mishra and Atal Bansal of SKDF.

PRESS did not turn the Satyendra Dubey letter to PMO dated November 11, 2002 in to a charge sheet.
November 11, 2002 Letter to PMO
martyr SKD wrote – A dream project of unparalleled importance to the Nation
Read the following:
N. Ram Of The Hindu Is No Ram
Sucheta has taken the lead in exposing the professional misconduct of press. Press has very incompetently covered development and economy related issues.
N. Ram of The Hindu is No Ram, he may try to appear to be champion of freedom of press but he is no better than his rivals in business.
I have tried to raise very critical issues like Kaveri dispute or Narmada dispute for example but none in the press dared to cover it. Example:- When most of the water in KRS dam shall be lost on way to farmers why Supreme Court wanted to release barely minimum amount for Karnataka’s priority needs. Firstly press doesn’t have the skilled reporters and secondly, like most politicians, doesn’t want to convey bitter truth to people.
Press as the “Balancing Pillar” of democracy and efficient governance is as feeble as other three Indian constitutional pillars, legislature, executive and judiciary.
Press seldom challenges the bad decisions of the government when it does; it addresses the public outrage due to certain event.
Indian Express was the only newspaper that extensively covered Dubey story. But it did not turn the Satyendra Dubey letter in to a charge sheet.
In India role of judiciary in keeping a check on the functioning of legislature and executive is limited there press has to fill the gap.
On policy issues judiciary has limited powers and procedure is slow and complicated but press can respond instantly the way Corruptionfree responds.
There is huge credibility gap that press has to bridge.
Ravinder Singh
—————–
Under N. Ram, the Hindu becomes a ’sorry’ paper
Posted by: “Sucheta Dalal” suchetadalal@yahoo.com
Tue Jun 6, 2006 12:21 pm (PST)

Hello all

Freedom of press?

This is a horrifying new trend that will affect the entire media and ultimately freedom of __expression in the country.

Are editors/owners crawling when asked to bend? Do they really need to bend in order to get advertising?

Has survival become so tough for the media?

If things are so bad with print, you can imagine how much worse it is in the audio-visual media.

Everybody needs to think about this. Would appreciate reactions.

best
Sucheta

Under N. Ram, the Hindu becomes a ’sorry’ paper ARVIND SWAMINATHAN writes from Madras:
Editors, reporters and correspondents at The Hindu are in a state of shock and disbelief today after another grovelling apology to an automotive major from their card-carrying Editor-in-Chief N. Ram appeared on the pages of the paper.

“In the Open Page article by R.S. Anand titled ‘The way we showcase India abroad’, a sweeping and baseless statement was made about a Kirloskar product, suggesting it was outdated. The Hindu apologises for this unwarranted assertion and withdraws the Open Page article from its website,” the apology signed by the editor-in-chief reads.

The “offending” piece by Anand, a student at RWTH in Aachen, Germany, comprised run-of-the-mill reflections on the Hannover Fair, and contained just two references to Kirloskar—both of them in the same paragraph.

“Companies such as HMT, BHEL, Kirloskar, etc, participated in the (Hannover) fair. My fellow German students were shocked to see the engine displayed by Kirloskar which was designed a century ago. They asked me, ‘Are they still using this one?’’ the “offending” paragraph went.

That was enough for Ram, otherwise a champion of free ___expression on television and in public forums, to go out crawling on all fours.

“Just what does our editor find so sweeping and baseless about that statement,” asked a senior editor of the paper on condition of anonymity. “And anyway it is not the author’s statement, it is the quote of a German visitor.”

Hindu staffers are bemused that Ram, otherwise particular about details, should not have published the date of publication of the offending piece—May 21, 2006—in the apology. “It’s almost as if he doesn’t want readers who have back copies of the paper at home to go back and check,” a staffer said.

At the same time, many senior editors and journalists within and outside the Hindu are horrified that the whole article has been axed from the paper’s website although the references to Kirloskar were contained in only one paragraph.

“Look at the irony. We lecture the world on why Da Vinci Code should not be censored. We lecture the world on why Fanaa should not be blacked out. And yet, because some rich family is offended, we remove the whole piece from the website. Is only the paragraph at fault or the whole piece? And what will the author tell his German friends about The Hindu? That the paper has very elastic journalistic ethics, depending on who is offended ?” the editor asked.

There is yet a third angle to the apology which is that it comes over and above the head of the much-vaunted Reader’s Editor, K. Narayanan, whom Ram has been projecting as the panacea of all journalistic ills in the country.

“Was Kirloskar’s complaint brought to the notice of the Reader’s Editor? If not, why ? If so, what was the substance of the complaint—that somebody had a view that the advertiser did not like? So, is Ram the Advertiser’s Editor? Doesn’t this undermine the position of the Reader’s Editor,” a staffer asked.

The Kirloskar apology is the second inside 20 months since Ram displaced Malini Parthasarathy and his brother N. Ravi in a bloodless palace coup.

On October 20, 2004, Ram published this: “The contents, tone and language of ‘Kudos to Tata Motors’ by C. Manmohan Reddy (Business Review, The Hindu, October 18, 2004) are highly inappropriate. The Hindu conveys its deep regrets to Mahindra and Mahindra and also to Kotak Mahindra, ICICI Bank, and Citibank for the publication of the article.”

In that case, all the “offending” piece did was to lambast Mahindra and Mahindra for showing a “singular lack of responsibility towards the environment”.

“They choose to sell Bharat Stage I versions of the vehicle in large numbers in many of the 11, large and environmentally sensitive, cities where all the other automotive manufacturers have switched to BS II versions—all to save about Rs. 5,000 to 6,000 on very profitable SUVs that cost nearly Rs. 8 lakhs, on the road,” Reddy wrote.

That was enough for Ram to apologise to M&M and the auto finance companies. However unlike in the Kirloskar case, the offending M&M piece continues to remain on the paper’s website along with the apology two days later.

Media watchers say they are not surprised that both the apologies have gone out to automotive companies, which are big advertisers on the pages of The Hindu and many of which are located in Tamil Nadu.

What they find hilarious is that a committed communist should be so servile and obsequious to capitalists.

“Here’s a paper that day in and day out extols Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Prakash and Brinda Karat. And yet to see it saying sorry for such minor journalistic indiscretions, if they are indiscretions, suggests duplicity, if not plain hypocrisy,” says a journalist who has seen better days under G. Kasturi.
__________________________________________________

Hands off IIMs Moderator N. M. Havewala Letter to Avenge Dubey’s death![May 18th 2004] Not followed up by IITians Atal Bansal and Ashutosh Aman Mishra

Hands off IIMs Moderator N. M. Havewala Letter to RAMBO to Avenge Dubey’s death!
[May 18th 2004]

Dear Rambo,

Avenge Dubey’s death: continue his work: expose the loot at NHAI.

Yes, this ad is the small end of the wedge which will help us to uncover the total loot that has been going on.

Imagine limiting competition for a work worth 3 crores to fellows who have done same work worth over 4.8!

The work is a standard civil construction, not specialised thing like Nuclear Reactor.

Okay, here is the suggestion.

We have heard reams and reams of emails exchanged over bringing the murderers of Dubey to justice.

The beaureaucrats have not bothered, since the mafia was led directly by Atal Bhaj-payee.

But now he can’t protect them, and let us fire a first, decisive, salvo. If you like the idea, float it, see how much interest is generated among members.

In the meantime, I look for the email, fax and snailmail addresses of all who matter (or will matter for a few days more) in the “Golden Quadrilateral Project” and National Highways Authority of India.

In the first phase we email/fax/snailmail these fellows, and in two days, not having got a satisfactory response,

we demand action from the new minister who takes over this ministry.

We make a demand that till the matters exposed by Dubey are examined,and till the new government gets a chance to re-examine every tender, all new tenders and orders be stopped.

Including, but not limited to a Rs. 6 crore tender advertised today for constuction of two toll plazas.

This 6 crore tender is out and out a fraud: the qualifying criteria are so worded that only one or two companies will qualify, and there is no need to limit in this way, this is not a Nuclear Reactor.

For a tender worth Rs.6 crores for 2 plazas (meaning each is worth Rs.3 crores), the qualifying requirement is that the contractor should have done atleast one toll plaza valued at over Rs.4.8 crore. Pray why?

Is construction of (buildings roofs cabins barriers, street furniture signage and roads which together make) a toll plaza such a specialised job that only one who has made a toll plaza worth 4.8 crores only can do it? And in the recent history of Indian Highways with toll plazas, how many contractors would have done a job worth 4.8 crores in Toll Plaza alone? And how can the pre qualification amount be higher than the upcoming job’s value ?

The ad would have appeared in all newspapers, I saw it in today’s Times page 12 Bombay edition.

If you want your group to do something concrete, start with something which appeals to a large number of people and would bring immediate,demonstrable success. Grab this fraud and stop it.

N. M. Havewala.
Hands off IIMs Moderator

suspicion about books of SKDF – Re: WHY FUNDS were DELAYED going to Family of Martyr SKD ? MUST BE A REASON !- Ashutosh Aman Mishra and Atal Bansal cover up in SKDF.

suspicion about books of SKDF -Re: WHY FUNDS were DELAYED going to Family of Martyr SKD ? MUST BE A REASON !!

- not a single paisa was remitted to the family until
june 2004, a full six months after IE's public campaign
and plug for SKDF's moneyraising resulted in pouring of
funds in the US. In June 04, Rajesh Darak and Sanjay Dani,
core members who did not hold any office in SKDF, questioned
AA and AB why the family has not received any money (as
learnt from Sandeep Pandey's familly visit. SKD did his
M.Tech. at ITBHU, Rajesh/Sanjay/Sandeep are ITBHU alumni).
- at the time of questioning, all donors and core members
were led to believe money has been sent to the family, as
even the website reflected its goal of raising money for
SKD's family "accomplished".

- several excuses were given for non-remittance, including
the US patriot act causing delay, bank authorization issues,
not "burdening" a poor family in crime infested rural Bihar
with a lot of money that would attract attention. Mysteriously,
all the problems disappeared within _one week_ of insistent
questioning that led to demands of AB's (the bank account
handler in florida) resignation, and some of the money was
remitted.

Ashutosh Aman Mishra ACCUSES PEOPLE WHO ARE FOR DISSOLVING SKDF AS BEING ON THE PAYROLL OF SKD’S KILLER MAFIA

S wrote:

AMAN HAVE ACCUSED PEOPLE WHO ARE FOR DISSOLVING SKDF
AS BEING ON THE PAYROLL OF SKD'S KILLER MAFIA.

Remember that includes DKD and his family who have
every moral and legal writes whether their kin's name
should be used and VMK, Shailesh, Rajesh and me among
others.

You have proven to the same vermin as Bansal who in
the rush to accuse me of anything ended up accusing
Anna Hazare of taking a bribe from me!!

Don't you people think before writing? Do you have
a moral core anywhere?

Dissolve the foundation as the family member has asked.
And disappear.

I stayed away from the disgrace you were bringing to SKD
since July 2004 until DKD appealed to people a couple of
months ago he is pained by the shame those running SKDF
are bringing to his brother's memory. He has now given a
very clear wish of the family. So you, like a slime ball,
are now escaping any association with "the family" saying
they had nothing to do with the foundation!!?

Well, you moron, the only reason people rushed around and
donated was because they could relate to a morally upstanding
family from a small village, how dignified his father was,
and how wise beyond his years his brother was. You rided
on top of that by creating the legal vehicle to collect
money.

Prashant Bushan wouldn't even _TOUCH_ the SKDF PIL
if SKD's father did not agree to put his name.

Don't forget your very existence in the social sphere is owed to SKD
and then his family. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND YOU ARE
MAKING IT NOW.

If people like us don't respond to DKD, who will? If you ran
the ship with 10% decency and an ounce of honesty, we wouldn't
be here. You have no shame Aman. In your mid-career failure
all you are clinging to is fleecing a dead classmate's
glory by association.

I'm pretty sure on that MBA app you tried to palm off
your "leadership qualities" in running the foundation
without the disclosure you are cheating a dead martyr's
family. How much of that still-unopened uninterrupted
bank statements went towards "soft loans"?

I take it you are a born englishman — guess marrying
one makes you an honorary member, is that it? — to
suggest me a refersher in that language… i thought
you and yours (KP, etc.) at least alwyas complimented
on my writings. Sure this is your final take? Why don't
you delete my "crappy english" from the skdf site that you
still own and let us know what is left after?? Do me a
favor and rewrite it. It would do you good and perhaps
awaken accountability in you that never made it through
the one-liners. Perhaps we get to see the depth of your
IQ as well.

I know what my brother stood for .. whatever happening is against all that in SKDF….

May 14th 2006 TWO Letters of DKD. 

One to VMK and One to SKDF and all Individuals

Re: My suggestions to you DKD // Re: My last mail and request to dissolve the foundation.

Dhananjay <dhananjay_dkd@rediffmail.com> wrote:

Date: 14 May 2006 06:47:08 -0000
From: "Dhananjay " <dhananjay_dkd@rediffmail.com>
To: "Venkat Kumaraswamy" <vmkumaraswamy@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: My suggestions to you DKD // Re: My last mail and request to dissolve the foundation.

I am sorry for all this….. but i can't help it…. i just don't want either the website or the foundation or the  yahoogroup to exist any longer…. i don't want to have any say in the money….. let people do whatever they want…. i just don't want to think over it any more because this is pulling me backward…… i don't want him to be remembered in this way…… now i have no faith left in wahtsoever…..when i am capable, i will do my best in my personal capacity to fulfill his dreams…..
So please forgive me….. and just let the foundation be dissolved…. websit and yahoogroup be closed…..
Regards,
Dhananjay

On Sun, 14 May 2006 Venkat Kumaraswamy wrote :
>Hello DKD,
>
>  Instead of wriitng like this, you should write the way it was suggested by others also.
>
>  Yes we agree in dissolving the SKDF in USA and the MONEY$5680 to be deposited in an account in INDIA to manage the website of SKDF.
>  This website will be like a MEMORIAL FOR Martyr SKD.
>
>  I think this is the way you need to think.
>
>    Regarding the website, IF they can transfer to your name, I will help you to MODERATE THE SKDF Yahoogroup for you. Think over this suggestion also.
>
>  It is all left to you. Rethink on this.
>
>  I know you are upset with all the things that has happenend. It gets me upset also.
>
>  Please respond to this.
>
>  Thanks
>  Sincerely
>
>  V. M. Kumaraswamy, MBA

>Dhananjay <dhananjay_dkd@rediffmail.com> wrote:
>    Hello all,
>after going through all the happennings of last few weeks/months….. i have decided to deassociate  myself from all such groups/activities….. past few weeks have been very painful for me….. and as of now i can't take anymore of it….. i have to take care of my family and that is my first priority right now….. i can't afford to keep myself disturbed from all these….. I know what my brotheer stood for….. and whatever is happenning here is against all that…. i cann't see any sort of controversies on his name…… As of now i need to build myself to make myself capable of fulfilling some of the Bhaiya's dreams…. i can feel that if i continue to remain involved in such things anymore then this will simply discourage  me from my goal which i don't want…. i have to keep my Bhaiya's dream alive…… on my own!!!!!  The activities of last few weeks have simply led me to learn some of the bitter truths of this world….. and i cann't let my attitude change because
>  of such things…..I DON'T WANT TO LEARN SUCH BITTER TRUTHS!!!!!!PLEAASE!!!!
>  I request the owners to kindly dissolve the foundation and delete all the egroups existing in the name of my brother…… i think i have all the right to ask for it……this is my final decision…. do whatever you want with the money in the foundation's account… return it to the donor or whatever possible…… but PLEASE DISSOLVE THE FOUNDATION AND DELETE THE YAHOO GROUP AT EARLIEST…..
>
>i will be out of reach of any communication media for next one month or so starting from tonight……
>
>Regards,
>Dhananjay