K. P. R. Gopalan (Aged 91), born in 1906, was a prominent Indian politician and a militant Naxalite communist leader from Kalliasseri, Kerala, popularly known as KPR. His niece, K. P. Sarada, was married to E. K. Nayanar. Gopalan lost his seat in the general election of 1 February 1960, but was subsequently re-elected.
In 1940, Gopalan was one of the founding members of the Communist Party in Kerala. He, along with the KPCC, organized the Morozha protest on 15 September 1940, against the British decision to enter World War II. The protest turned violent when the police tried to suppress it, resulting in the deaths of a Sub-Inspector and a Constable.
The police arrested all prominent leaders, including Gopalan and E. Narayanan Nayanar, the elder brother of E. K. Nayanar, a former Kerala Chief Minister for 11 years. The court sentenced all of them to imprisonment, and later, on appeal, the Madras High Court sentenced Gopalan to death. He was sent to Bellary Jail, which sparked widespread protests across Kerala and India. Kerala observed a day honoring K.P.R Gopalan, and the leading newspaper, Mathrubhumi, demanded in an editorial that his death sentence be commuted.
Gandhiji also got involved and voiced his disagreement. The British Communist Party also protested, and the case received attention in the British Parliament. As a result of the mass protests, the British Government commuted Gopalan’s punishment from hanging to life imprisonment. He was later released when the Congress Interim Government took power in Madras state.
Eminent Communist leader P. Krishna Pillai wrote an article entitled “The Bolshevik Hero of Kerala,” praising Gopalan. Gopalan passed away due to natural causes on 5 August 1997.
K. P. R. Gopalan
(1906 – 1997) – (Kerala)
K. P. R. Gopalan (Aged 91), born in 1906, was a prominent Indian politician and a militant Naxalite communist leader from Kalliasseri, Kerala, popularly known as KPR. His niece, K. P. Sarada, was married to E. K. Nayanar. Gopalan lost his seat in the general election of 1 February 1960, but was subsequently re-elected.
In 1940, Gopalan was one of the founding members of the Communist Party in Kerala. He, along with the KPCC, organized the Morozha protest on 15 September 1940, against the British decision to enter World War II. The protest turned violent when the police tried to suppress it, resulting in the deaths of a Sub-Inspector and a Constable.
The police arrested all prominent leaders, including Gopalan and E. Narayanan Nayanar, the elder brother of E. K. Nayanar, a former Kerala Chief Minister for 11 years. The court sentenced all of them to imprisonment, and later, on appeal, the Madras High Court sentenced Gopalan to death. He was sent to Bellary Jail, which sparked widespread protests across Kerala and India. Kerala observed a day honoring K.P.R Gopalan, and the leading newspaper, Mathrubhumi, demanded in an editorial that his death sentence be commuted.
Gandhiji also got involved and voiced his disagreement. The British Communist Party also protested, and the case received attention in the British Parliament. As a result of the mass protests, the British Government commuted Gopalan’s punishment from hanging to life imprisonment. He was later released when the Congress Interim Government took power in Madras state.
Eminent Communist leader P. Krishna Pillai wrote an article entitled “The Bolshevik Hero of Kerala,” praising Gopalan. Gopalan passed away due to natural causes on 5 August 1997.
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