By
Maansi Verma
isn’t difficult to understand,
the question which lingers is,
“ why he took this stand ?”
Like others, he could have ignored it,
turned a blind eye,
but something within him poked him,
and turned an ordinary man into a spy.
The news wasn’t new to people,
they knew it was happening,
but they kept quiet,
they couldn’t jeopardize their living.
But he didn’t seem to care,
for nothing could be greater than honesty,
and so he took this bold step,
and was made to pay for it dearly.
One fine afternoon,
he was shot dead,
no proof, no witness,
he was no longer a threat.
Why is everyone silent ?
What was his fault ?
Why did he deserve this,
cruel, heinous, fatal assault ?
There was a violation of Law,
direct threat to Public Interest,
wasn’t it right to complain ?
To expose the scam, was just.
Nobody took him seriously,
for, among the high profile people involved,
he was merely a powerless, single-celled creature,
who hadn’t yet evolved.
He knew, it could be life threatening,
and so he requested anonymity,
they kept their part of the promise,
and only to the Mafia, revealed his identity.
His complain was well hidden from everyone,
but his murder became a sensation,
and though the timing was not right,
he finally got the Media attention.
Some called him a “Selfless Martyr”,
others said he was pursuing personal fame and glory.
But this “Masala-Crazy” nation,
ardently followed the story.
While his family mourned his death,
his co-workers kept mum,
the prospect of persecution and retaliation,
was enough to frighten them.
He was also well aware of the consequences,
he knew he could be terminated,
he could face suspension, demotion and social outcast,
but he had no fear of being mistreated.
Finally, ethics won over ‘the dear Life’,
he even kept his career at bay,
but he was bullied, mobbed and shot,
helpless, in a pool of blood, he lay.
Only if the organization had been proactive enough,
to promote ethical treatments at all levels,
exhibited integrity, responsibility and concern,
for a healthy governance, society and morals.
He would have been alive today,
had the organization responded quickly and maintained confidentiality,
but the standards were low and corruption and malpractice,
had become a part of culture and every activity.
Had the Board, auditors, ethics officers,
not been complacent,
and the HR department had listened,
framed policies and mechanism and been patient.
Even the law of the land,
didn’t come forward for his protection,
as there is no Whistleblowing Legislation,
Just a Bill for Freedom of Information.
Every now and then,
the innocent man is betrayed,
through scams, fiascos and corruption,
with our money and trust, they casually played.
If one of us, refusing to tolerate unfairness,
raises his voice and speaks his opinion,
he’s conveniently eliminated, in a manner,
horrid, ruthless and draconian.
But the fight should not end this way,
even if it causes grief and pain,
by embracing morality, ethics, justice and fair governance,
his sacrifice would not go in vain.
The poem is inspired from the following incident :-
On discovering rampant corruption and poor implementation of work in the section where he had been posted, Dubey wrote to the prime minister exposing the irregularities. In the letter, received by the prime minister’s office on November 11, 2002, he had named some companies. Fearing retribution, he had requested that his name be kept secret.
But PMO officials circulated his letter along with details of his identity among the bureaucracy. The number of notings on the file bear witness to this (The Indian Express, November 30, 2003). While the file was making the rounds, not one official thought about the threat Dubey was being exposed to.
Why officials in the PMO did not heed Dubey’s request for anonymity is not known. But just over a year later, on November 27, 2003, he was murdered in Gaya, Bihar.
(The author is a third year HR student of SSCBS and an active member of Kartavya- The Social Service Society and Kriti- the Art Society )
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