June 19, 2002, Navleen Kumar, Vasai. November 27, 2003, Satyendra Du­be, Gaya. November 19, 20­05, Shanmugham M­anjunath, Gola Gokarnath, La­khimpur Kheri. May 14, 2008, Lalit Mehta, Palamau. January 13, 2010, Satish Sh­e­tty, Talegaon. February 14, 20­10, Sh­ashidhar Mishra, Phulwaria, Begusarai. July 20, 20­10, Amit Jethwa, Ahmedabad. January 25, 2011, Yashwant Sonavne, Manmad. August 16, 2011, Sh­ehla Masood, Bh­opal.

When Kaifi Azmi penned the lyrics of the song for Che­tan Anand’s Haqueeqat, “Kar chale hum fida jano tan sa­athiyon/ Ab tumhare havale watan sathiyon...” he could have been paying lyrical tributes to these martyrs of modern India, the murdered wh­istle blowers.

We celebrate our martyrs, we shed tears, and we shower flowers on their mo­numents but when they are waging their lone battles, we don’t support them, don’t stand by them.

Navleen Kumar was murdered because she stood up to land-grabbing criminal gangs stealing tribal lands in Vasai Virar. The criminals who murdered her have become ‘leaders’, having bought respectability from a venal political system. Navleen Kumar gave up her life for us. Who cares?

Satyendra Dube was murdered because he exposed the nexus between road contractors, officials and politicians. Because he dared to complain to the prime minister about th­eir plunder.

Satyendra gave up his life for the common good of his countrymen; the nexus that murdered him thrives. Who cares?

Shanmugham Manjunath was murdered by fuel adulterators he caught red handed. Murdered because he refused to join the cartel of criminals and venal fuel company officials and become a cog in this well-oiled evil system. Manjunath was gunned down; oil adulteration continues unc­h­ecked. Who cares?

Lalit Mehta was brutally murdered by those he exposed for embezzling huge amounts from the NREGA Scheme in Palamau. Money meant for the poor destitute and starving. Lalit Mehta was murde­r­ed because he wanted the mo­ney to benefit the poorest of the poor; it continues to line the pockets of the corrupt but powerful. Who cares?

Satish Shetty was murder­ed by the land mafia operating in and around Pune and Lonavala. Powerful western Maharashtra politicians are the fat cats of real estate there. They enjoy great power and have acquired enormous wea­lth. Satish Shetty became a thorn in the sides of these cri­minals. His fight was to protect the land rights of the co­m­mon man, for this he was murdered. Who cares?

Shashidhar Mishra a.k.a ‘Khabri Lal’ used RTI to expose scams in the Panchayat. He used the power of RTI to expose the wrong doings of the local administrators and the goondas who pilfered the Panchayat funds to enrich th­emselves. Kahbri Lal was a nuisance for the criminals; he was chased, shot and killed. Who cares?

Amit Jethwa worked hard to protect the fragile ecology of the Gir Sanctuary. He exposed and curbed illegal mining activities inside the sanctuary. We profess our love for flora and fauna and we all want to save the tiger. While pr­otecting the habitat of the Asiatic Lion, Amit Jethwa gave up his life. Who cares?

Yashwant Sonavane was m­urdered by the oil mafia. They pilfer oil, adulterate it and sell it on the black market, making millions. Officials and the political class are their pa­rtners. When Sonavne ca­ught a powerful Mafiosi red handed, he was doused in oil and set afire. Who cares?

Shehla Masood was an active member of India Against Corruption. She took on the administration when they indiscriminately wanted to demolish heritage structures in Bhopal.

She fought to protect the wild cats of Madhya Pardesh, threatened by gangs of poachers. There wasn’t an injustice she wouldn’t fight against. Shehla was murdered beca­use she refused to allow criminals to have a free hand; a pr­omising life snuffed out. Who cares?

Whistle blowers are often brutally silenced and the si­lent majority remains silent. I am reminded of the immortal lines penned by Martin Nie­moller, “When the Nazis ca­me for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a co­mmunist. When they loc­ked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat. When they ca­me for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist. When they ca­me for the Jews, I remained si­lent; I wasn't a Jew. When th­ey came for me, there was no one left to speak out.”

As a society we must care, not just shed a few tears, light a few candles and forget conveniently. We must make their cause our own, we must stand shoulder to shoulder with them in their fight, not just lend our shoulders to their coffins.

(The writer is founder president, Mahatma

Gandhi Foundation)