'It's Not Worth Having Whistle Blowers In India Today'

For many millennials, turning 30 is often a reminder to look back and assess the life goals one sought and achieved, failed to or is still striving for.

If Satyendra Dubey had made a checklist on his 30th birthday, he would have ticked the following: jumped across the hurdles that come with a socio-economically modest background and got an education from IIT-Kanpur; served his country as an officer of the Indian Engineering Services (IES); and blew the lid off scams related to a section of the 14,000-km-long Golden Quadrilateral highways project. After trying to tackle the corruption himself, he had written to the PMO and sought anonymity. Dubey’s letter was leaked and his identity revealed, leading to his murder in Gaya, Bihar, on November 27, 2003, the very day he turned 30. His younger brother Dhananjay Dubey talks about the whistleblower and his murder. Excerpts from an interview with Ushinor Majumdar.

Can you give us an idea of your family background?

We are from a small farmer background on both the pater­nal and maternal sides. They make just enough to survive. My father was only 12 when my paternal grandfather died. He was thrust early into the role of the head of the family. Later, he took up a job in a sugar factory and also ran a medi­cal store, often doing both.

What values did your parents insist on while you were growing up?