By: Dilip Apte
In late December 1971, when communal violence targetting Muslims reached Thalasseri, Kerala, a prominent young CPI-M leader Vijayan Koran and M.V. Raghavan had been given charge by CPI-M of protecting mosques allegedly targeted by the RSS. Their goal was to make the Muslims believe that the communists were the saviors of Muslims.
Vijayan Koran and his comrades travelled in the riot-hit regions with microphones and requested people to maintain harmony and not to fall into the communal propaganda which research shows was unleashed by themselves. They stood guard at mosques which their own mobs had targeted for destruction, and one of them, comrade U. K. Kunjiraman, lost his life in a mob attack on January 4, 1972.
Comrade Vijayan was captured by the Thalassery Superintendent of Police who had taken charge just two days earlier. During the process of capturing him, Vijayan gave the slip to the constables who were holding his hands and started to run. The SP decided to pursue Vijayan on foot and ran after him and easily reached up to him and landed a flying kick to his back. Vijayan fell flat on his face to the ground.
In the ensuing tussle, Vijayan lost his mundu (Kerala attire worn around the waist that can cover upto the ankles or can be folded to cover upto the knees). Vijayan was handcuffed and dragged into the police jeep by the SP of Thalassery in the midst of villagers shouting out pro CPI-M slogans.
It was the arresting officer himself who picked up Vijayan’s mundu and gave it to him before throwing him into the back of the jeep. The SP did not say or do anything to Vijayan in public. He simply took him away.
After arriving at the police station, Vijayan was ushered into the lockup by the constables who walked him inside and uncuffed him. Vijayan continued to call out pro party slogans and began threatening the constables of consequences for arresting him.
On hearing all the noise and commotion emanating from the lockup, the SP entered the lockup, grabbed Vijayan by the neck with one hand and easily lifted his frail body at least 1 foot above ground. The SP then dropped Vijayan down to earth and gave him a gaze. Vijayan’s eyeballs involuntarily moved down whimpering in fear. The 26 year old IPS officer said: “Mr. Vijayan Koran! Look at me”!!!
The young SP then pulled out his revolver and placed it in front of Vijayan’s forehead. As soon as the SP unbuckled his revolver holster, Vijayan broke out into a loud sob and urinated right there begging for forgiveness in Malayalam. The SP, although not a malalayee, was a Kerala Cadre IPS officer who could understand that “ayyo saare enne onnum chayyalle, ennode kshamikkane” (Please sir, do not harm me, forgive me).
The SP then told Vijayan, “I don’t want to see any more violence in Thalassery sponsored by your bosses and executed by you goons. This gun is loaded and the next time we meet, there will be no pleasantries. The lead bullet in it will enter your forehead and leave with your brains from behind your head. Is that clear?”
Vijayan still profusely sobbing managed to respond, “yes sir” as he deficated while standing. The SP then instructed him to use his mundu to wipe the floor which had a pool of Vijayan’s urine and feces between his legs. As the SP left the lockup, he told Vijayan that he will release him without charge the next day and he has to go and advise his freinds in the party to stop this nonsense that leads to people getting killed for political needs.
Thalassery was calm and quiet for the next 6 months until the SP was transferred from Thalassery by the CPI-M’s CM Shri C. Achuthan Menon’s administration.
In the above incident, the SP was none other than Shri Ajith Doval and Vijayan Koran who is a murder accused in the murder of RSS activist Vadikkal Ramakrishnan on April 28, 1969, in Kannur was sworn in as the chief minister of Kerala in May 2016. He is known as “Pinarayi Vijayan” outside of his police records.
Today Ajith Doval is in charge of the NIA investigation regarding the Kerala gold smuggling case of 2020, in which Chief Minister Vijayan’s close aid and secretary Shri M Sivasankaran IAS is allegedly involved. It is a full circle of crime between 1978 and 2020.