T. P. Chandrasekharan

hideThis article has multiple issues. Please help or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (April 2013) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (July 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

T. P. Chandrashekaran
Personal details
Born	(1960-07-23)23 July 1960[citation needed] Onchiam, Kozhikode, India
Died	4 May 2012(2012-05-04) (aged 51)
Cause of death	Assassinated
Nationality	Indian
Political party	Revolutionary Marxist Party
Other political affiliations	Communist Party of India (Marxist) (till 2008)
Spouse(s)	K. K. Rema
Children	Abhinand

T. P. Chandrasekharan (July 1960 – 4 May 2012) was an Indian politician who was the founder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP), a breakaway group of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). Born in Onchiam village in Kozhikode district in Kerala, he posthumously shot to national prominence after he was hacked to death on 4 May 2012; CPI(M)'s local organization is widely blamed as the perpetrator for the murder.^[1][2][3]

Political life[]

Chandrasekharan at the age of 18 worked as CPI(M) branch secretary in Nellacery West Branch. During the Emergency^{[clarification needed]} Chandrasekharan was the Unit Secretary of SFI^{[clarification needed]} in Madappally High School. He also worked as the Central committee member of the Students' Federation of India (SFI). He was later appointed District Secretary of DYFI^{[clarification needed]} Kozhikode.

Chandrasekharan was a follower of V. S. Achuthanandan while working with the CPI(M). Chandrasekharan left the CPI(M) in 2008 and worked on forming out a new political party under the name Revolutionary Marxist Party.^[4] In the 2009 local body,^{[clarification needed]} he led his newly formed Revolutionary Marxist Party to victory at his home panchayat in Onchiam and nearby villages.

Chandrasekharan with his Son Abhinand in 2011

Death[]

According to police, 51-year-old Chandrasekharan was attacked by assailants on 4 May 2012, who came by a car while he was riding a motorcycle alone while returning after participating in a wedding.^{[citation needed]} Crude bombs were hurled at him and when he fell off the motorcycle, he was hacked to death with sharp weapons mainly focusing on his face. According to the postmortem report, he has received 51 stabs.^[5] The body was left in a pool of blood on the road for more than half an hour after which he was taken to the hospital by the police. A special police team was formed to investigate the murder.^{[citation needed]}

The prominent criminals in the convicted gang are N. K. Sunil Kumar alias Kodi Suni, 31, and T. K. Rajeesh, 35. Suni has been facing 37 cases, including two murder cases and kidnap incidents. Suni was the first accused in the murder of Popular Front of India Muhammed Fazal in 2006.

Karai Rajan and Karai Chandrasekharan have been accused in the case.

Arrests[]

The prime suspect of the murder T. K. Rajeesh was arrested in Mumbai by Kerala Police on 9 June 2012. More than 50, including local leaders of Communist Party of India (Marxist) had been detained for interrogation by the investigating team.^{[citation needed]}

By 10 July 2012 all of the assassination group members who had a direct involvement in the murder was arrested by the Kerala Police. the court concluded on 22 January 2014 that twelve persons accused were guilty of the murder, including three CPI(M) leaders. 24 accused were set free due to lack of evidence.^{[citation needed]} Court sources said the judgment, running into over 350 pages, indicated that it was a politically motivated murder.

The first seven accused, who actually took part in the killing, were found guilty under Section 302, 143, 147 and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The accused from second to seventh were found guilty under Section 148. However the second accused and third accused were also convicted under Sections of the Explosive Substances Act.^{[citation needed]}

Accused Ramachandan, Manojan, and Kunhanandan were found guilty under Section 120 of 302of IPC. Rafeeque was found guilty under Section 109 while Pradeepan under Section 201 of Indian Penal Code.^{[citation needed]}

K. K. Rema, Chandrasekharan's wife said she was not fully satisfied with the verdict, yet it had exposed the role of the CPI(M) in Kozhikode and Kannur districts hatching a plot to kill her husband. She also demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the case.^[6]

Aftermath[]

At least 30 houses were attacked and two dozen vehicles burnt in north Kerala on Saturday after news of the incident.^[7] The murder was widely covered for at least a month on the Kerala media and brought out significant tremors in the CPI(M).^[8] V. S. Achuthanandan demanded immediate changes in the state leadership and to constitute an ad hoc committee, failing which would result him relinquishing his position as leader of the opposition in the state assembly.^[9]

Pinarayi Vijayan, a leader of CPI(M), remarked that traitors are always traitors, an indirect reference to Chandrasekharan's exit from the party back in 2008. The comment came few days after Chandrasekharan's murder.^[4]

A memorial erected by RMP members in remembrance of Chandrasekharan's murder have reportedly been attacked constantly by CPI(M) members and consequently had to be rebuilt five times.^[5]

His widow KK Rema won the 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election for becoming MLA of Vatakara Constituency.^[10] She wore a badge with the picture of T P Chandrashekharan for her swearing as MLA.^[11]

See also[]

• List of assassinated Indian politicians

References[]