KOZHIKODE: Batchmates of P. Rajan, tortured and killed in police custody during the State of Emergency, returned to their alma mater with his memories on Saturday. Each one of them had something to tell the present generation of the NITian about their close friend, after whom Ragam, the annual cultural festival of National Institute of Technology-Calicut, previously Regional Engineering College, is organised.
“My journey was to find an answer for what happened to Rajan after he was taken into custody by the police for a Naxal attack, in which he had no role. At the time of the alleged crime, he was at Farook College participating in a music festival. I would say, he was anything but a Naxal," said Thomas George, the only witness at the REC to testify that the police arrested on this campus, who authored a book Rajan Caseinde Aniyara Rahasyangal (the secrets behind the Rajan case), after 40 years of his death.
"We realised the bravery of Rajan after he came up with street plays, protest and speeches during the dark days, and he even dared to mock (Prime Minister) Indira Gandhi. At this moment walking through the corridors of NIT, I remember his singing. He never missed a single day singing late hours." "We started Ragam in his memory, which has now taken to a much higher level by adding more events to it," he added.
Rajan was arrested after a police station attack during the Emergency 1975-77. He was taken to the Kakkayam torture camp, where he faced a brutal torture and subsequent death. His father fought a long legal battle to bring to light the facts behind his disappearance and to expose the terror unleashed by the state, which later became the subject of Shaji N. Karun's award winning movie Piravi. Paul Thomas and Abdullah were among those who shared memories.
