Jayaram Padikkal
Encyclopedia
Jayaram Padikkal IPS was born in Peruvemba
village Palghat in Kerala
. Padikkal, son of an Indian Army officer had his education in Pune
. A good hockey player, Padikkal was a voracious reader, especially history, crime and philosophy. But Padikkal ended up in the Indian Police Service
. He was the youngest DIG in the country and was honoured with the President's Police Medal.
Jayaram Padikkal became notorious after the infamous Rajan case, which was the illegal custody and torture of Rajan, an engineering student from Calicut. Rajan is believed to be tortured to death by Pulikkodan Narayanan
(then Sub-Inspector, Perambra Police Station and later retired as Deputy Superintendent of Police), under the orders of Jayaram Padikkal and Lakshmana another cruel, corrupt and inefficient officer of Kerala Police.
Both Lakshmana and Padikkal were not punished in the Rajan case because the case was inquired by a division of Kerala police itself and they let the senior officers escape. The Lakshmana was not as lucky as Padikkal and he got life sentence in another case "Naxalite Verghese case" when CBI (Central Burro of Investigation) investigated the case. The case led to the resignation of the then Home Minister K. Karunakaran, and also to the suspension and imprisonment of the officers accused in this case. It was said that C. Achutha Menon
and K. Karunakaran, while they were the chief minister and home minister respectively, had given Padikkal a blank cheque for finishing off the Naxalite movement in the state. Padikkal recruited many youngsters from the campuses in Kerala, trained them and made them infiltrate the Naxalite movements.. Padikkal was one of the few officers in the Kerala cadre who was sent for training at Scotland Yard
, the premiere detective agency in United Kingdom
. Padikkal invented the torture method known as "oruttal" in which a round metal rod or wood rod is kept on the victim and two police officers sit on the rod and roll it trough the body. It is a shame to Scotland Yard that one of the officers trained by them became such notorious torture expert. Jayaram Padikkal was one of the deputy chief (DIG) of the Crime Branch in Kerala Police during the time of the Naxalite movement, and during the Indira Gandhi
imposed national emergency. Padikkal used emergency as an opportunity to torture innocent people. Padikkal was instrumental in curbing the Naxalite Movement in the state. Padikkal solved a string of high profile murder cases including the Corporation case and the Rajini Case where a little girl was murdered and her body hidden in a well. Padikkal accepted bribe from Mafia and allowed them to escape in different murder cases. Padikkal was a very corrupt officer and accumulated millions of dollars through corruption.
Padickal courted conrtroversy during the emergency days.He was in charge of the special cell that dealt with naxalites and other anti-emergency groups. The gruesome details of the police state
of those days was brought out in the Rajan case. Padikkal's role in this and several other cases of violation of human rights
has been recounted in the biographies of several naxalite leaders like K Venu and in the memoir, 'With malice against none', written by Rajan's father [1]. Padikkal also came under the cloud for his association with the then home minister K Karunakaran. In the book 'Jayaram Padikkal's Crime Diary', the biography of Mr.Padikkal, there is an account of how Padikkal, then a DSP, ransacked Nawab Rajendran
's office and destroyed some incriminating documents which would have framed Karunakaran in a corruption
case. Nawab Rajendran's biography claims that Padikkal repented his role in all this. Padikkal had no back-bone and he did whatever Karunakaran and other ministers asked him to do. He had no moral values and he supported who every rules the state and he used all opportunities to make money or increase his influence among political leaders. V. M Sudheeran a well respected political leader once told "There are more culprits in Kerala Police than the total number of culprits outside the police force". Yes, Padikkal was the Godfather of all such culprits in Kerala police.
Due to lack of evidence the charges against Padikkal could not be proven, and he was acquitted. Padikkal later rose up the ranks to become the Director General of Police
(DGP), the highest rank in the force. He held this appointment from 1993 to 1994, and subsequently retired from service. Jayaram Padikkal died in the year 1997
Peruvemba
Peruvemba is a small village panchayat, under Palakkad Taluk in the Palakkad district of Kerala, India. It is surrounded by Olassery and Kodumbu panchayats...
village Palghat in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. Padikkal, son of an Indian Army officer had his education in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
. A good hockey player, Padikkal was a voracious reader, especially history, crime and philosophy. But Padikkal ended up in the Indian Police Service
Indian Police Service
The Indian Police Service , simply known as Indian Police or IPS, is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India...
. He was the youngest DIG in the country and was honoured with the President's Police Medal.
Jayaram Padikkal became notorious after the infamous Rajan case, which was the illegal custody and torture of Rajan, an engineering student from Calicut. Rajan is believed to be tortured to death by Pulikkodan Narayanan
Pulikkodan Narayanan
Pulikkodan Narayanan was one of the Police Officers in Kerala Police. Pulikkodan Narayanan was in charge of Perambra police station, and was specifically moved into the squad dealing with the Naxalites.He was a brutal police officer ,who said to be tortured Rajan,an engineering student from R.E.C...
(then Sub-Inspector, Perambra Police Station and later retired as Deputy Superintendent of Police), under the orders of Jayaram Padikkal and Lakshmana another cruel, corrupt and inefficient officer of Kerala Police.
Both Lakshmana and Padikkal were not punished in the Rajan case because the case was inquired by a division of Kerala police itself and they let the senior officers escape. The Lakshmana was not as lucky as Padikkal and he got life sentence in another case "Naxalite Verghese case" when CBI (Central Burro of Investigation) investigated the case. The case led to the resignation of the then Home Minister K. Karunakaran, and also to the suspension and imprisonment of the officers accused in this case. It was said that C. Achutha Menon
C. Achutha Menon
Chelat Achutha Menon was a senior leader of the Communist Party of India . He was the Chief Minister of Kerala state for two terms. The first term was from 1 November 1969 to 1 August 1970 and the second 4 October 1970 to 25 March 1977. Achutha Menon is widely considered as the best Chief Minister...
and K. Karunakaran, while they were the chief minister and home minister respectively, had given Padikkal a blank cheque for finishing off the Naxalite movement in the state. Padikkal recruited many youngsters from the campuses in Kerala, trained them and made them infiltrate the Naxalite movements.. Padikkal was one of the few officers in the Kerala cadre who was sent for training at Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
, the premiere detective agency in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Padikkal invented the torture method known as "oruttal" in which a round metal rod or wood rod is kept on the victim and two police officers sit on the rod and roll it trough the body. It is a shame to Scotland Yard that one of the officers trained by them became such notorious torture expert. Jayaram Padikkal was one of the deputy chief (DIG) of the Crime Branch in Kerala Police during the time of the Naxalite movement, and during the Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
imposed national emergency. Padikkal used emergency as an opportunity to torture innocent people. Padikkal was instrumental in curbing the Naxalite Movement in the state. Padikkal solved a string of high profile murder cases including the Corporation case and the Rajini Case where a little girl was murdered and her body hidden in a well. Padikkal accepted bribe from Mafia and allowed them to escape in different murder cases. Padikkal was a very corrupt officer and accumulated millions of dollars through corruption.
Padickal courted conrtroversy during the emergency days.He was in charge of the special cell that dealt with naxalites and other anti-emergency groups. The gruesome details of the police state
Police state
A police state is one in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic and political life of the population...
of those days was brought out in the Rajan case. Padikkal's role in this and several other cases of violation of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
has been recounted in the biographies of several naxalite leaders like K Venu and in the memoir, 'With malice against none', written by Rajan's father [1]. Padikkal also came under the cloud for his association with the then home minister K Karunakaran. In the book 'Jayaram Padikkal's Crime Diary', the biography of Mr.Padikkal, there is an account of how Padikkal, then a DSP, ransacked Nawab Rajendran
Nawab Rajendran
T.A. Rajendran popularly known as Nawab Rajendran was a social activist and journalist from Kerala. With his sensational newspaper Nawab, and through his prolific use of public interest litigation, he stirred the conscience of society for nearly three decades.T.A. Rajendran was born in 1950 as...
's office and destroyed some incriminating documents which would have framed Karunakaran in a corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
case. Nawab Rajendran's biography claims that Padikkal repented his role in all this. Padikkal had no back-bone and he did whatever Karunakaran and other ministers asked him to do. He had no moral values and he supported who every rules the state and he used all opportunities to make money or increase his influence among political leaders. V. M Sudheeran a well respected political leader once told "There are more culprits in Kerala Police than the total number of culprits outside the police force". Yes, Padikkal was the Godfather of all such culprits in Kerala police.
Due to lack of evidence the charges against Padikkal could not be proven, and he was acquitted. Padikkal later rose up the ranks to become the Director General of Police
Director General of Police
In India the director general of police or inspector general of police is a three-star rank and the highest ranking police officer in Indian States & Union Territories. All DGPs/IGPs are Indian Police Service officers. The DGP/IGP is usually the head of the state police force in every Indian state...
(DGP), the highest rank in the force. He held this appointment from 1993 to 1994, and subsequently retired from service. Jayaram Padikkal died in the year 1997