Shambhu Dutt Sharma
Born9 September 1918
Died15 April 2016

Shambhu Dutt (9 September 1918 – 15 April 2016), born Shambu Dutt Sharma[1] was an Indian independence and anti-corruption activist.

Early life

Shambhu Dutt Sharma was born in Punjab Province, British India in Hoshiarpur District near Mukerian on 9 September 1918.[2]

Independence Activist

After studying law he became involved in the Indian independence movement at the age of 24 as a supporter of Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India movement which he joined in 1942 after resigning as a civilian gazetted officer in the British Indian Army. During this time he was imprisoned.[3]

In 1975 he was again imprisoned protesting during the Emergency in India imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.[4]

Fighting corruption

In 2007, as honorary general secretary of the Satyagraha Brigade, Sharma said "corruption has become rampant. It has to be wiped out. On this issue we will start the Satyagraha".[5] He favored the adoption of the Corrupt Public Servants (Forfeiture of Property) bill prepared by the Law Commission of India in 1999, which proposed to bar criminals from contesting elections.[6]

At the age of 92 on 30 January 2011 he ended a hunger strike he had went on demanding the end of corruption in India, after being persuaded by several prominent people including Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and also by Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal. The campaign was primarily taken on by Anna Hazare. However, Sharma expressed feeling betrayed due to the way Hazare her team handled the negotiations with the government saying “You (Team Anna) cannot call ministers with whom you are discussing an important legislation cheats and liars. That is not a Gandhian way to engage with the government of the day”.[7][8]

He was also the founder of Transparency International India.[9] Sharma's team was known as Gandhian Seva Brigade.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pnina Werbner Political Aesthetics of Global Protest
  2. ↑ See Pattanaik and Mohapatra reference cited below for brief bio-data of Shambhu Dutt Sharma (pages 291-292)
  3. ↑ Sowesh Pattanaik and Atanu Mohapatra (2014), The Gandhian Struggle Against Corruption (Lokpal and Beyond), Surendra Publications, New Delhi.
  4. ↑ The Hindu, 13 August 2011
  5. ↑ Satyagraha against corruption, The Economic Times, 18 August 2007
  6. ↑ The original Anna, Hindustan Times, 3 July 2011.
  7. ↑ Anna's battle: Why Shambhu Dutt feels betrayed, Rediff news, 19 August 2011.
  8. ↑ 94-yr-old Gandhian 'regrets' handing over Lokpal baton to Team Anna, The Indian Express, 8 November 2011
  9. ↑ Shradhanjali (SD Sharma 9 Sep 1918 – 15 April 2016), Transparency International India, 16 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Hindustan Times, 12 June 2011
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