Students and alumni at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NITC) have alleged that the administration is making sustained efforts to erase the legacy of their former student P Rajan, who was killed in police custody in 1976. They said that the latest incident involved the taking down of a promotional video for the university’s popular cultural fest, Ragam, which depicted Rajan being taken away by the police. After their requests to have the video re-released were ignored, the students have pointed out that Rajan’s political legacy was especially significant in a university like NITC, which has no political representation, and where acts of dissent are actively suppressed.
Rajan was a vocal student activist at Regional Engineering College (REC), which later became NITC. He opposed the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Following an attack on Kayanna police station, Rajan was picked up by the police and subjected to custodial torture at a camp. Authorities alleged that Rajan had Naxalite connections and took part in the police station attack. However, recorded statements from his friends confirmed that he was attending an inter-collegiate competition at Farook College in Kozhikode at the time.
Based on a habeas corpus petition filed by Rajan’s father, TV Eachara Warrier, the Kerala High Court ordered the state government, then led by K Karunakaran, to produce Rajan before the court. But the police failed to comply, leading to a series of student protests that eventually forced Karunakaran’s resignation. Rajan’s body was never found.
NITC’s website acknowledges that this incident is widely regarded as the catalyst for the creation of Ragam, and that the 2006 edition began with a solemn message delivered by Rajan’s father. “The All-Kerala Rajan Memorial Music Festival was held in 1977 to commemorate his life, but this venture got discontinued within a few years. The fest later resurfaced as Ragam in 1987 in remembrance of Rajan,” the website states.
The now-removed promo video for Ragam 2025 opened with a police jeep carrying Rajan, accompanied by powerful lines: “He was a legend. The faint ray of hope during the dark times. The one who pointed his fingers at injustices carried out by the authorities. The one who had to succumb under the batons of uniformed servants of the powerful in the end. Art was his weapon, which became the voice of protest for the oppressed.”
The controversy began during a Student Governance Body (SGB) meeting on January 8, convened to discuss the financial aspects of the festival. During the meeting, a remark made by the cultural affairs secretary (CAS) about Rajan sparked a heated argument between the students and the CAS. The minutes of the meeting, obtained by TNM, state that the CAS later acknowledged that Ragam was introduced two years after Rajan’s death as a tribute to him, but declined to re-release the teaser that had been removed from Ragam’s Instagram page, allegedly under pressure from the administration.
A student, who requested anonymity, said the effort to erase Rajan’s legacy gained strength around the time of the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram temple in January, when Ragam 2024 was supposed to happen. A section of students had protested against the celebration of the event on campus, which resulted in a clash between students. One Dalit student was suspended for carrying a placard reading “India is not Ram Rajya.” During the protest, the student invoked Rajan’s name, stating that the police cannot seize his placard on the campus of Rajan, who stood for free speech.
Since the incident had communal undertones, the students were told that the Intelligence bureau advised against holding the festival since it coincided with the Parliamentary elections, the student who spoke to TNM said. “Prior to this, a few students had approached the Kerala High Court to seek permission to hold pro-shows during the Tathva tech fest, after the administration opposed them. The court order was in favour of the students, which made the administration more hostile,” they added.
According to the student, the administration’s hostility had been growing over the years, and the teaser for last year’s Ragam, which touched on themes related to Rajan’s disappearance, fuelled further discontent. “That video also displeased the administration. Neither Tathva nor Ragam was held during the last academic year,” they said.
The university reportedly cited financial discrepancies in previous years as a reason for denying permission for the festivals.
The student said there used to be solidarity among the student fraternity, but that this was slowly fading. “The Ragam team might have been pressured to take down the video, but they didn’t discuss it with us. It was different before, when we stood together, but now it feels as though we are voiceless. The Ragam team is now prioritising the organisation of Ragam 25 rather than upholding the festival’s essence and legacy. Only a few students are voicing their opinions against this, while the rest are scared and have become voiceless and apolitical,” they added.
The minutes of the meeting also indicated that the Ragam team was planning to release a magazine and documentary about Rajan’s legacy, in collaboration with the alumni. Albert Bonnie, who studied at NITC from 2015-2019 and was among the organisers of the I-INK literature festival in connection with Ragam, told TNM that he had not been approached for the project. But he expressed concern that such an initiative could strengthen the management’s efforts to erase Rajan’s legacy.
“Rajan and Ragam are deeply interlinked,” Albert said. “The enduring impact of the cultural festival is that it is a space for students to express freedom of speech and exchange ideas. Rajan’s legacy gained urgency around 2014, coinciding with the emergence of the Modi government.”
Albert said the campus was “witnessing the rewriting of history for the first time.” This is similar to how the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has sought to promote the idea that Mahatma Gandhi was not killed by Nathuram Godse, he said. Albert also noted that Rajan’s history was important for the university, as it has no political party representation, only a student body.
“Since Ragam is also a cultural festival of national reputation, students face immense pressure from the management. Rajan has been at the forefront of all promo videos all this while. It is no coincidence that they are pushing this narrative now. Art survives, and that scares them,” Albert added. This is similar to how the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has sought to promote the idea that Mahatma Gandhi was not killed by Nathuram Godse, he said. Albert also noted that Rajan’s history was important for the university, as it has no political party representation, only a student body.
Vishnu Vijayan, an alumnus and the convenor of Ragam in 2018, said they were determined to conduct the festival focusing on Rajan’s legacy. “We have been talking to students and understand that they are under a lot of pressure. There are clubs now that didn’t exist during our time—such as the science and spirituality club. It is an oxymoron, but the university is gradually being saffronised,” he added.
TNM reached out to the cultural affairs secretary, who said that the video was removed upon directions from the administration.
