R. Jayaram Padikkal was an IPS officer. He had served as the Director General of Police (DGP), the highest rank in the force in the period 1993–94.[1]

R. Jayaram Padikkal
Born(1937-05-01)1 May 1937
Died15 July 1997(1997-07-15) (aged 60)
NationalityIndian
OccupationIPS Officer - Director General of Police (DGP)[1]
Children1

Early years edit

Jayaram Padikkal I.P.S. was born in Peruvemba village Palghat in Kerala as the son of an Indian Army officer and had his education in Pune. He was said to be a good hockey player and a voracious reader, especially history, crime and philosophy and later joined the Indian Police Service.[citation needed]

In 1982 he was made the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), for the state of Kerala and thus became the youngest DIG in the country.[2][3] He was one of the few Indian Police officers to have received training at the Scotland Yard. He was a recipient of President's Police Medal.[citation needed]

Controversy edit

When he was Deputy Inspector General (Crime Branch) of Kerala police,[4] he and Pulikkodan Narayanan were accused of complicity in the torture and death of a student named Rajan at the hands of the police during the period of The Emergency. He was convicted but the conviction was overturned on appeal.[5] He was known to maintain a good relationship with the then Kerala Chief minister K. Karunakaran.[6][7]

In 1972, as District Superintendent of Police at Thrissur, Padikkal was involved in brutally assaulting Nawab Rajendran and destroying his press office. Its alleged that the attack was in retaliation to Nawab Rajendran's investigative journalism scoop against corruption done by then Home Minister K. Karunakaran in the land acquisition for setting up Kerala Agricultural University at Thrissur.[8]

A book about his life and career, called The Crime Diary of Jayaram Padikkal, was written by Venganoor Balakrishnan in 1997.[9] It describes him as "a NOTORIOUS and controversial IPS officer from Kerala, India."[10]

External image
  Picture of Jayaram Padikkal, from keralapolicehistory.com retrieved 2.06.2012

He died in the same year, after falling ill. Before that, he was attacked by some militants on his way from Ernakulam Town railway station to his home nearby.[citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Our Chiefs till Now". keralapolicehistory.com. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  2. ^ "Jayaram Padikkal - Rediff Pages : 965655".
  3. ^ Kerala (India). Vigilance Dept (1984). Administration report. Govt. of Kerala. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  4. ^ "'Police station attack was a conspiracy'". The Hindu. 11 October 2005. Archived from the original on 14 December 2005. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  5. ^ "Once there was a hero..." The Indian Express. 2 November 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  6. ^ India today. Thomson Living Media India Ltd. 1998. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  7. ^ K. Govindan Kutty (1994). K. Karunakaran, a political biography. Har-Anand Publications. ISBN 9788124101797. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  8. ^ M. G. Radhakrishnan (20 July 1998). "Kerala High Court serves notice on CM Karunakaran on 26-year-old corruption scandal". India Today. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  9. ^ "From crime to spirituality". The Hindu. 7 February 2008. Archived from the original on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  10. ^ Veṅṅānūr Bālakr̥ṣṇan (1997). Jayar̲āṃ Paṭikkalint̲e kr̲aiṃ ḍayari. Dhanuṣmān Grūp ōph Pabḷikkēṣans. Retrieved 27 May 2012.

Popular culture edit

In 2006 an experimental drama 'Ormakal Zindabad' (Memories longlive) staged in certain places in Kerala, directed by G.Ajayan based on the custodial death of Rajan. The parts of leading characters Jayaram Padikkal and Rajan were done by Salih Rawther and Shabu Madhavan respectively

 
Ormakal zindabad drama

[citation needed]