Rajan case
P. Rajan | |
---|---|
Died | 1 March 1976 Kerala,India |
Cause of death | Torture |
Occupation | Student |
Known for | Unlawful arrest and subsequent death in custody |
TheRajan caserefers to the death ofP. Rajan,a student of theRegional Engineering College, Calicut,as a result of torture in local police custody inKeraladuringthe nationwide Emergency in Indiain 1976, and the legal battle that followed, which revealed facts of the incident[1][2]to the public. His remains are yet to be recovered.
Background
[edit]Duringthe nationwide Emergency in Indiabetween 1975 and 1977,Fundamental Rightsof the citizen were suspended by the government, creating a period of police activism.[1]In Kerala, theNaxalmovement was at its peak during this period. Major operations of Naxals in Kerala were attacks on police stations in rural areas. The police acted with vengeance upon the Naxalites and used the word Naxal to address those upon whom they had vengeance.[citation needed]
Incident
[edit]Rajan, a student of the Calicut Regional Engineering College (presently theNational Institute of Technology Calicut), was arrested by theKerala Policeon 1 March 1976,[3]duringthe nationwide Emergency in Indiaalong with his fellow student, Joseph Chaaly. As was later revealed by a petition in theHigh Court of Kerala,he was held in police custody and tortured as part of the interrogation. He died from torture of extreme kind,[4]especially due to something calleduruttal(a practice of "rolling" a heavy wooden log over the body of the victim). His body was then disposed of by the police, and was never recovered.
Rajan's father,T. V. Eachara Warrier,complained to the authorities about his missing son. The police finally confirmed that he died in custody upon ahabeas corpussuit, the first such suit in the history of Kerala, filed by his father in theHigh Court of Kerala.[5]
Inquiries by family
[edit]Rajan's mother had become mentally unstable from the developments and was hospitalised. His father,T. V. Eachara Warrier,lost all of his money but he did not know why his son was arrested, that he made enquiries to police officers, who, he felt, would be able to give him the details about his son's arrest and also about his whereabouts. He made representations to the authorities, which produced no result. Somehow, he discovered that Rajan had been arrested under directions of the DIG of Police, Crime Branch, Trivandrum. He met the then Home Minister of the StateK. Karunakaran.He sent petitions to the Home Secretary to the government of Kerala thrice. There was not even a single reply or acknowledgment.
Mr. Warrier continued his efforts at getting some information about his son by similar representations made to the President of India and Home Minister to the government of India with copies to all the Members of Parliament from Kerala. He made similar representations to the Prime Minister of India and others, all to no effect. He met several police officers and learned that some arrested students similarly were detainees in the Central Jail. He was vigorously searching in vain for his son in the three Central Jails and also in the various other police camps and other places. He met the Chief Minister several times because the Chief Minister had personal knowledge of the arrest of his son and also of his detention. On the last occasion he met Sri. Achutha Menon, who expressed his helplessness in the matter and said that the matter was being dealt with byK. Karunakaran,Minister for Home Affairs.
He appealed to the general public in Kerala by expressing his grievance in a pamphlet distributed to the public. The Home Minister who was a candidate in the recent elections addressed several public meetings in Mala, Kalpetta and other constituencies of the State and in some of the meetings he made mention of the fact that Rajan was involved as an accused in a murder case and that was why he was detained. Rajan was never produced before a Magistrate.[6]
Findings
[edit]Rajan's father fought a long battle against the establishment to bring to light the facts behind the disappearance and expose atrocities committed by the state. The petition and subsequent investigations found that Rajan had indeed been taken into custody, and perhaps died when in police custody. His body was not found, and many charges against the accused in this case had to be dropped. The accused included the chief of the Crime Branch wing ofKerala Police,DIGJayaram Padikkal,who was convicted but the conviction was overturned on appeal.[7]Karunakaran was the Home Minister during the emergency. He resigned from the post of the Chief Minister of Kerala in 1978 from adverse judgement in the case. Warrier wrote the book,Memories of a Father,narrating his fights.[6]
In popular culture
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/%27Ormakal_Zindabad%27.jpg/220px-%27Ormakal_Zindabad%27.jpg)
The 2018 Malayalam movieKaattu Vithachavardirected bySatheesh Paulpresents investigation by a police team to disappearance of Rajan. The movie acted byPrakash Bare,Tini TomJayaprakash Kuloorprovides a factual review of events, though the names of characters have been slightly changed.
The 1988Malayalam filmPiravidirected byShaji N. Karunhas its plotline adopted from this incident. The 2013Malayalam filmIdukki Goldreferences the case. Raman, one of the protagonists, throws ink at the Kerala Home Minister in protest against the Rajan case not being resolved. Malayalam movieSahapaadi(1975), also touches the issue.
In 1977, the All Kerala Rajan Memorial Music Competition was started at theNational Institute of Technology Calicut(then known as REC Calicut) to commemorate Rajan's life. Every year since 1987, the Institute conducts their annual cultural festivalRagamin memory of Rajan.[8]In 2006, Ragam festival started with an audio message delivered by Rajan's fatherEachara Warrier.[9]
C. R. Omanakuttanhas written a book namedShavamtheenikalwhich is an expose of the brutality involved in the incident. In 2006,Ormakal Zindabad(Memories live long), directed by G. Ajayan, was staged in certain places in Kerala, based on the custodial death of Rajan. Leading characters Jayaram Padikkal and Rajan were portrayed by Salih Rawther and Shabu Madhavan respectively.
The 2021 Tamil movieJai Bhim,directly references the Rajan case as an example of ahabeas corpuswherein the rare occurrence of a cross examination in a high court as grounds for not producing a detainee by the state police is permitted.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abIype, George (26 June 2000)."Emergency: 'Rajan's mother died asking for him'".Rediff.Retrieved11 August2019.
- ^"Fresh probe in Rajan case sought".The Hindu.25 January 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 1 March 2011.
- ^"What Happened to the Rajan Case?".People's Union for Civil Liberties website Archives. October 1981.Retrieved27 May2012.
- ^"Once there was a hero".The Indian Express.2 November 2010.Retrieved27 May2012.
- ^Veṅṅānūr Bālakr̥ṣṇan (1997).Jayar̲āṃ Paṭikkalint̲e kr̲aiṃ ḍayari.Dhanuṣmān Grūp ōph Pabḷikkēṣans.Retrieved27 May2012.
- ^ab"Archived copy"(PDF).ahrchk.net.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 January 2011.Retrieved15 January2022.
{{cite web}}
:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"Once there was a hero..."The Indian Express.2 November 2010.Retrieved2 June2012.
- ^Special, Correspondant (10 January 2020)."Ragam fest inaugurated at NIT-C".thehindu.
- ^Staff Reporter."Colourful start to Ragam".hindu. Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2006.
- ^"ന്യായം, നീതി: മനസ് തുറന്നു കാണേണ്ട സിനിമ".
External links
[edit]- 1970s missing person cases
- 1976 murders in India
- 1976 in Indian law
- Crime in Kerala
- Deaths in police custody in India
- Enforced disappearances in India
- History of Kerala (1947–present)
- Missing person cases in India
- People murdered in Kerala
- Political history of Kerala
- Indian people imprisoned during the Emergency (India)