logo
How a thief named Kolappan saved V S Achuthanandans life

How a thief named Kolappan saved V S Achuthanandans life

News1821-07-2025
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 21 (PTI) Long before he became Chief Minister of Kerala, V S Achuthanandan lived through one of the darkest chapters of political resistance in Indian history. Among the many struggles he faced, one moment stands out –when a thief, Kolappan, unknowingly became the man who saved his life.
According to accounts carried by Deshabhimani, the mouthpiece of the CPI(M), this extraordinary episode took place in 1946, during the brutal aftermath of the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising in coastal Alappuzha against the alleged brutal suppression of people's movement by Diwan Sir C P Ramaswamy Iyer who served Travancore monarchy.
Achuthanandan had gone underground on party instructions as police cracked down on leaders of the undivided Communist Party.
He was eventually captured from a hideout in Poonjar in Kottayam district, betrayed by local rivals, and taken to Pala police lock-up.
What followed was nothing short of torture.
Policemen, led by a notorious officer, beat him mercilessly, demanding the whereabouts of other senior leaders like E M S Namboodiripad and P Krishna Pillai.
He refused to say a word. They tied his hands, beat his legs with sticks, and finally stabbed his leg with a bayonet. Bleeding heavily, Achuthanandan lost consciousness. Thinking he was dead, the police decided to dispose of his body quietly.
Since there was no official record of his arrest, they believed they could cover up his death. They wrapped his body in his mundu (dhoti) and placed him under the seat of a police jeep.
A thief named Kolappan, also in custody at the time, was made to assist them.
The plan was to bury the 'body" somewhere in the forest.
But as the jeep moved through the night, Kolappan noticed something — Achuthanandan was still breathing.
Kolappan alerted the police that the man they thought was dead was, in fact, alive.
The police then rushed him to the government hospital in Pala.
He survived — though it took weeks of treatment to recover from the injuries.
Soon after, he was re-arrested in connection with another political case and sent to Alappuzha sub-jail.
He later served time in Thiruvananthapuram's Poojappura Central Jail as prisoner number 8957.
He was released in 1949.
Achuthanandan, who died on Monday at the age of 101, carried the scars of this ordeal for the rest of his life — both physical and emotional. PTI TGB TGB KH
view comments
First Published:
July 21, 2025, 21:15 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

India-US trade: Officials react cautiously to Russia penalty threat
India-US trade: Officials react cautiously to Russia penalty threat

Time of India

time27 minutes ago

  • Time of India

India-US trade: Officials react cautiously to Russia penalty threat

NEW DELHI: As President Trump threatened to impose a penalty on India for its trade ties with Russia, Indian officials reacted cautiously as they reiterated India's position that securing energy needs of the Indian people is the overriding priority. A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said India is buying oil not because it wants to help Moscow but because it's the right thing to do based on the prevailing market conditions and the global geopolitical situation. Trump said India has always bought "a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of energy along with China". However, India had been keen on announcing new plans for defence procurement and co-production arrangements with the US too. During PM Narendra Modi's visit to the US in Feb, Trump pushed India to lower tariffs and buy more defence products from the US that would facilitate a fair trade deal. With the US encouraging India to reduce its dependence on Russian-origin equipment, the leaders had agreed to expand defence sales and co-production to strengthen interoperability and defence industrial cooperation. In that context, govt sources here said some of Trump's claims don't stand up to scrutiny. "The fact is that India-US defence trade has been increasing since 2008, while the dependence on Russia continues to reduce considerably," said an official on condition of anonymity, adding that the US is now among the top arms suppliers to India along with Russia and France. While much has been made of India's imports from Russia, little attention has been paid to the fact that its crude imports from the US have seen a significant jump too with the US emerging as the 4th largest supplier to India in April this year, according to Indian officials. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . Discover stories of India's leading eco-innovators at Ecopreneur Honours 2025

Trump's rant against India undercuts claim of having used trade to broker Operation Sindoor truce with Pakistan
Trump's rant against India undercuts claim of having used trade to broker Operation Sindoor truce with Pakistan

Time of India

time42 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Trump's rant against India undercuts claim of having used trade to broker Operation Sindoor truce with Pakistan

NEW DELHI: When he lashed out at India for not lowering tariffs for American businesses, US President Donald Trump undercut the claim he has incessantly made: that on May 10, the Modi govt caved in to his threat of not doing trade with India if it did not pause Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. He had also suggested that India would get a good deal for its compliance. Trump's outburst on Truth Social on Wednesday conflicted with his claim of having frog marched India to cease Operation Sindoor by dangling the threat of stopping trade. Interestingly, the 'all things not good' admission from the US president, who has earned the reputation of being the global scold because of his petulance and pugnacity, came on a day when the two Houses of Parliament concluded a debate on Operation Sindoor that was dominated by Trump's claim of having mediated the suspension of hostilities. On Tuesday, PM Modi had refuted Trump's claim, saying no global leader had asked him to cease the offensive, and that it was the sheer ferocity of the IAF strikes on Pakistan's airbases that led Islamabad to sue for peace on May 10. That was getting as close as an Indian PM could get to accuse the US president of inexactitude. External affairs minister S Jaishankar went a step further on both Tuesday and Wednesday, stating that Trump and Modi did not talk between April 22 and June 16 when in a telephonic conversation, Modi had rebutted the suggestion that the operation against Pakistan was ceased because of anyone's mediation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Modern manufacturing techniques explained. Shopper Experts Learn More Undo In a significant decision, the Modi govt got foreign secretary Vikram Misri to let out details of the conversation. India has also consistently rebutted Trump's claim that trade was a factor in India's decision to stop attacking Pakistan after May 10.

FIR against 6 for barging into Kargil veteran's Pune residence
FIR against 6 for barging into Kargil veteran's Pune residence

Time of India

time42 minutes ago

  • Time of India

FIR against 6 for barging into Kargil veteran's Pune residence

PUNE: Police in Pune filed an FIR on Wednesday against six named people and four to five unidentified "accomplices" after a retired Kargil War veteran's family alleged they were coerced into proving Indian citizenship during a late-night raid involving 30 to 40 people. No arrests have been made yet, according to ACP Manoj Patil. Hakimuddin Shaikh, 58, a retired Naik Havildar who served in the Army's 269 Engineer Regiment from 1984 to 2000, said Tuesday that his relatives were harassed at their home in Chandan Nagar around 11.30pm Saturday. Men allegedly kicked the door, shouted religious slogans, and threatened to label the family "Bangladeshi or Rohingya" unless documents were produced. Police commissioner Amitesh Kumar met the family Wednesday and promised the "strictest action" against those responsible. "We have recorded fresh statements and will invoke relevant sections of law in the existing FIR," he said. Kumar denied claims that members of an outfit had arrived in a police van.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store