T. P. Chandrasekharan

His widow KK Rema won the 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election for becoming MLA of Vatakara Constituency by the support of the right-wing coalition - United Democratic Front (U.D.F.), including Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). Her connections with IUML and UDF raised eyebrows of her husband's ideological followers. She wore a badge with the picture of T P Chandrashekharan for her swearing in as MLA.

T. P. Chandrasekharan (July 1960 – 4 May 2012) was an Indian politician who was the founder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP), a breakaway group of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). Born in Onchiam, a rural village in Kozhikode district in Kerala, he posthumously shot to national prominence after he was hacked to death on 4 May 2012; CPI(M)'s local organization is widely blamed as the perpetrator of the murder.

According to police, 51-year-old Chandrasekharan was attacked by assailants on 4 May 2012, who came by a car while he was riding a motorcycle. Crude bombs were hurled at him and when he fell off the motorcycle, he was hacked to death. The body was left in a pool of blood on the road for more than half an hour after which he was taken to the hospital by the police. Chandrasekharan had 51 wounds on him, deep incisions inflicted by sharp weapons, such as swords, on the head and face. A special police team was formed to investigate the murder.

The Special investigation team probing the murder case nabbed three prime suspects accused including Kodi Suni, Muhammad Shafi and Kirmani Manoj from a hideout near Iritty m in June 2012. Kodi Suni and others had been hiding at Peringanammala, a hillock surrounded by strongholds of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Kodi Suni is a prominent criminal in Kerala who has been facing 37 cases, including two murder cases and kidnap incidents. Suni was the first accused in the murder of Popular Front of India activist Muhammed Fazal in 2006.

The prime suspect of the murder, T. K. Rajeesh was arrested in Mumbai by Kerala Police on 9 June 2012. More than 50, including local leaders of Communist Party of India (Marxist) had been detained for interrogation by the investigating team.

By 10 July 2012, all of the assassination group members who had a direct involvement in the murder were arrested by Kerala Police. A Kerala court convicted 12 accused, including three leaders of CPI(M) for the murder in January 2014. M.C. Anoop (1st accused), Manoj Kumar aka Kirmani Manoj (2nd accused), N.K. Sunil Kumar aka Kodi Suni (3rd accused), T.K. Rajeesh (4th accused), K.K. Mohammed Shafi (5th accused), Annan Shijith (6th accused), K. Shinoj (7th accused), K.C. Ramachandran (8th accused), member of the Kunnummakkara local committee, Manojan aka Trouser Manojan (11th accused), former branch secretary of Kadanganpoyil of the CPI(M) P.K. Kunhanandan (13th accused), member of the Panur area committee of the CPI(M) P.V. Rafeeque (18th accused), and M.K. Pradeepan aka Lambu (31st accused) were found guilty of the crime. Court sources said the judgment, running into over 350 pages, indicated that it was a politically motivated murder.

Chandrasekharan was a follower of V. S. Achuthanandan while working with the CPI(M). Chandrasekharan left the CPI(M) in 2008 and worked on forming a new political party under the name Revolutionary Marxist Party. In the 2009 local body, he led his newly formed Revolutionary Marxist Party to victory at his home panchayat in Onchiam and nearby villages.

Pinarayi Vijayan, a leader of CPI(M), remarked that traitors are always traitors, an indirect reference to Chandrasekharan's exit from the party back in 2008. The comment came a few days after Chandrasekharan's murder.