Naxal Varghese
Encyclopedia
Arikkad Varghese popularly known as Naxal Varghese, was an India
n militant
communist activist (Naxalite
), who fought mainly to protect the Adivasi
s in Wayanad from the exploitation of the feudal lords , and the police system which then aided the exploitation, during the 1960s.
Naxal Varghese is especially notable in the history of Kerala, for being murdered by the police in a fake encounter, and the truth of this incident which remained unknown for 40 years. After 40 years, the very policeman who fired the shot revealed to the world that he had murdered him, and called for a trial. In the course of the trial, the now-old policeman died before he could testify before the court. A colleague of his testified, and one senior police officer who ordered the murder was convicted and sentenced by the court.
Other Naxalite
s who worked with him were Ajitha, Sankaran Master, and Grow Vasu.
people of Wayanad in 60s. The Naxalites assassinated many landlords including Adiga, Chekku and distributed the assets gained from this landlords to the poor. The police tried to suppress it with power and by 1970 the protest was very weakened. On February 17, 1970 Varghese sought shelter and food from Karimath Sivaraman Nair. While he was asleep some one informed police and he was arrested. His body was later found at Koomparakuni near to Thirunelli police station. The Church refused to bury his body and he was later buried at his ancestary home at Ozhukkan moola in Vellamunda
.
court found former police officer K. Lakshmana
guilty of compelling Ramachandran Nair to shoot Varghese and was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of ten thousand rupees. The verdict was later upheld by the Kerala High Court
.http://www.indianexpress.com/news/fake-encounter-retd-igps-life-term-upheld/803719/
', comparing him with the iconic Cuban communist revolutionary, because of the similarity of work he undertook for the underprivileged and the similarity in the circumstances of death.
has the murder of Varghese as its main theme.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
communist activist (Naxalite
Naxalite
The word Naxal, Naxalite or Naksalvadi is a generic term used to refer to various militant Communist groups operating in different parts of India under different organizational envelopes...
), who fought mainly to protect the Adivasi
Adivasi
Adivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups claimed to be the aboriginal population of India. They comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India...
s in Wayanad from the exploitation of the feudal lords , and the police system which then aided the exploitation, during the 1960s.
Naxal Varghese is especially notable in the history of Kerala, for being murdered by the police in a fake encounter, and the truth of this incident which remained unknown for 40 years. After 40 years, the very policeman who fired the shot revealed to the world that he had murdered him, and called for a trial. In the course of the trial, the now-old policeman died before he could testify before the court. A colleague of his testified, and one senior police officer who ordered the murder was convicted and sentenced by the court.
Other Naxalite
Naxalite
The word Naxal, Naxalite or Naksalvadi is a generic term used to refer to various militant Communist groups operating in different parts of India under different organizational envelopes...
s who worked with him were Ajitha, Sankaran Master, and Grow Vasu.
Naxal Life
Varghese along with many others fought against the misuse and exploitation of illiterate adivasiAdivasi
Adivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups claimed to be the aboriginal population of India. They comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India...
people of Wayanad in 60s. The Naxalites assassinated many landlords including Adiga, Chekku and distributed the assets gained from this landlords to the poor. The police tried to suppress it with power and by 1970 the protest was very weakened. On February 17, 1970 Varghese sought shelter and food from Karimath Sivaraman Nair. While he was asleep some one informed police and he was arrested. His body was later found at Koomparakuni near to Thirunelli police station. The Church refused to bury his body and he was later buried at his ancestary home at Ozhukkan moola in Vellamunda
Vellamunda
Vellamunda is a village and a Gram panchayat in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India. Situated at the foot of Banasura Peak and Mangalassery hill Vellamunda has rich greenery and scenic beauty to flaunt off. Famous tourist attraction is Banasura Sagar earth dam, which is the largest of its kind...
.
Murder
A police constable named P. Ramachandran Nair admitted publicly in 1998 that he had shot Varghese on orders of Lakshmana, then a deputy superintendent of police. A gun was planted on the dead body to imply that he had been shot dead in an encounter with the police. On 28 October 2010, in a historic judgement a special CBICentral Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...
court found former police officer K. Lakshmana
K. Lakshmana
K. Lakshmana is a retired IGP from Kerala State Police department. In 2010, he was found guilty of the murder of a Naxalite leader Arikkad Varghese in a fake encounter and was sentenced to life imprisonment. His conviction was upheld by the the Kerala High Court and he is currently serving the...
guilty of compelling Ramachandran Nair to shoot Varghese and was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of ten thousand rupees. The verdict was later upheld by the Kerala High Court
Kerala High Court
High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The High Court of Kerala is headquartered at Kochi...
.http://www.indianexpress.com/news/fake-encounter-retd-igps-life-term-upheld/803719/
Legacy
Varghese is often called 'Kerala Che GuevaraChe Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
', comparing him with the iconic Cuban communist revolutionary, because of the similarity of work he undertook for the underprivileged and the similarity in the circumstances of death.
In popular culture
The 2008 Malayalam film ThalappavuThalappavu
Thalappavu is a 2008 Malayalam film directed by Madhupal and written by Babu Janardhanan. The film portrays the social and political issues of the Naxalite era of the 1970s in Kerala. It is the adapted story of Naxal Varghese and Police Constable P. Ramachandran Pillai.The film's cast includes...
has the murder of Varghese as its main theme.
Ref
- Keralakaumudi weekend Feb 2010