Those who attended a modest funeral at Mavadi near Nedumkandam in Kerala's Idukki district the other day were in for a shock when a tribute to the deceased, Nirappel NA Thankappan (88) was read.
The tribute, in the form of a WhatsApp message that was read by Jiji Varghese, CPM local committee secretary of Parathodu, had been sent by former Naxalite K Ajitha.
The first shocker to the residents of the sleepy village was that the soft-spoken comrade Thankappan, whom they had known for four decades, was in fact former Naxalite, Allunkal Sreedharan, living under a false identity.
The correspondence from Ajitha then revealed that the gentle comrade was a revolutionary in his prime, who had participated in the guerrilla attack on the Malabar Special Police camp at Pulpally in November 1968 alongside Ajitha, Varghese, Thettamala Krishnankutty, Philip M Prasad, and Sukumaran.
Ajitha said she had lost contact with Sreedharan after their jail term for the 1968 attack, which was one of the first armed revolts led by Naxalites in Kerala.
Following the unsuccessful attempt, the comrades were captured; 149 accused were arraigned. Varghese escaped and was shot dead. Sreedharan was released after being subjected to lockup torture.
He was jailed in another case but later went into hiding after an appeal against an arrest was turned down by a court in Thalassery. Many were caught, but Sreedharan had remained elusive.
Assuming a new identity
Sreedharan adopted a new name, Thankappan, and blended in as a farmer in Idukki's high ranges. He became an active CPM worker. However, the old Naxalite had confided his identity to two friends, who were made to promise to not reveal it until his death.
As promised, the loyal comrades intimated Ajitha soon after Sreedharan alias Thankappan died. He had died of age-related ailments. He leaves his wife Sumathi and children Abhilash and Anitha.
