P. Rajan Biography 
P. Rajan was a student of the erstwhile Regional Engineering College, Kozhikode who faced a brutal death from the hands of Kerala Police during the Emergency Period in 1977. He was subjected to third-degree torture before he was killed. Till now this puzzle is unsolved, none of the accused is punished and his dead body has not retrieved yet, though almost three decades have passed. Known as ‘Rajan Case’, after the Emergency period was lifted, Rajan’s father T.V Eachara Warrior filed a suit of Habeas Corpus in the High Court in Ernakulam and the respondents were then Home Minister K. Karunakaran, Home Secretary to Kerala Government, Inspector General of Police and other senior police officials. The case rocked Kerala politics and K. Karunakaran had to resign.
Rajan was a student of National Institute of Technology Calicut, then known by the name Calicut Regional Engineering College when he was arrested by Kerala Police during Emergency period. It was a time when strong naxal operations were going on in Kerala, and he was arrested from college hostel in the early morning of March 1, 1976 along with his friend Joseph Chaly for alleged Naxal association. He was given extreme torture in the custody and he faced custody death. Later his body was disposed without any traces. His body was never recovered.
His father T. V. Eachara Warrier was a college professor of Thrissur, who fought a long legal struggle against the Congress-led Government of Kerala during the Emergency. Later the police admitted that Rajan died in police custody. After the Emergency was withdrawn, Warrier filed a habeas corpus seeking the state to produce his son in court. It was for the first time in Kerala history a habeas corpus was filed and his legal fight is described as one of the best remembered human rights fights in the state. National Award winning movie, Piravi has a plot similar to this real-life incident, for which its lead actor Premji who played father’s role received National Award for best actor. The accused included the chief of the Crime Branch wing of Kerala Police, DIG Jayaram Padikkal, who was convicted later.
Published: N/A
Updated: May 29, 2016
