Body of CPM leader who went missing found in Chennai lake

A highly decomposed body found in a lake on Sunday on the outskirts of Chennai has been identified as that of missing Tamil Nadu CPM leader W R Varadarajan. While the police and party leaders said they would wait for the results of a scientific test before making a formal announcement, the former MLA's wife, Saraswathy, identified it saying it was indeed Varadarajan.

Varadarajan, who was sacked from the posts of CPM state and central committee member, had gone missing after his expulsion, leaving behind unsigned notes indicating the decision to end his life to avoid living in dishonour. The veteran trade unionist was sacked by the party on grounds of ``conduct unbecoming'' of a senior leader following a complaint from his wife, who was also a party member.

A grim mood was discernible in party and family circles as leaders and relatives gathered at the Government Royapettah Hospital mortuary on hearing the news about the recovery of the body from Porur lake. ``Although some features suggest that it could be his body, we have requested the police and doctors to test both his fingerprints and DNA for full confirmation,'' CPM state secretary G Ramakrishnan said in a statement. Varadarajan's wife found identification marks on the body similar to those of her husband.

``The physical identification marks suggest that it's Varadarajan. But we have to wait for scientific proof,'' Ramakrishnan said. Varadarajan, who began his career as an accountant in the Reserve Bank of India and was active in the bank's union, quit the job to become a full-time member of the CPM. He later married Saraswathy, a widow, who was his colleague in RBI.

Varadarajan's rise in Left politics was marked by a series of labour agitations headed by him, most notably at Binny Mills in Chennai. He represented Villivakkam assembly constituency before being nominated to the Tamil Nadu and central committees of the party.

The former legislator was removed from party posts in the state and central committees and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) earlier this month for what the party called ``conduct unbecoming of his position''. A complaint by his wife regarding his conduct had formed the basis for his removal, according to party sources.

He is believed to have walked out of his house on February 11 in a dejected mood. He left behind two unsigned letters. On February 18, his wife Saraswathy lodged a missing complaint with the police commissioner. The party separately made a representation to the state director general of police, Letika Saran.

A special team of Crime Branch officers was assigned to trace Varadarajan. The body was retrieved from the Porur lake in the suburbs of Chennai on February 13. It had no clothes except a vest and brief and had been kept in the mortuary as unidentified. Varadarajan's foster son Arvind Prakash was first taken to identify it on Sunday and later in the evening, his wife Saraswathy and Ramakrishnan were taken to have a look.

``They showed me the body and asked if I could identify the vest he was wearing. I said it looked similar (to the one he wears). Then I was asked to wait,'' said his son. His wife was able to identify him by some physical marks, said sources. ``One of his fingers had been broken in an accident, and this helped his wife identify him,'' said a police official. Some of his party members who gathered outside the mortuary said it was easy to identify him from the receding hairline and long nose.

Chennai police commissioner T Rajendran said fingerprint and DNA tests would be undertaken to confirm the identity. ``We've requested the US consulate in Chennai to provide us with Varadarajan's fingerprints, which were taken when he visited the US. This will be used to check whether the body is his. We will also conduct a DNA test,'' he said.

Varadarajan’s last lines reveal suicide dilemma

Expelled CPM leader W R Varadarajan left behind the following unsigned letters before he went missing more than a week ago. The notes, written on pages pulled out of his diary, suggest that he was in a dilemma over the decision to end his own life after being removed from all party posts — he believed a true communist would never commit suicide — but later came to a decision. He has bequeathed his books and funds to the party.
The last lines by a communist:

Note 1:
‘‘Just as the ‘kavarimaan’ (a species of deer) will give up its life even if it loses one strand of hair, the truly honourable ones will renounce their lives if there is a taint to their honour’’ (A couplet from Thirukkural, an ancient Tamil moral treatise)... The one who commits suicide can never be a Communist. I could overcome many travails within the party. However, when it came to a struggle in my personal life, I have been shattered and defeated. Now, what?
The Kural prevails over the mind.
February 6, 2010
Kolkata

Note 2:
My two bank accounts should be closed and the amount lying in them should be given to the party. My books should go to the party and ‘Theekkadhir’ (CPM official organ in Tamil) libraries. My laptop, which my daughter bought for me when I visited the US, should be used by Theekkadhir. My body should be used for medical research. Nowhere should there be any function to unveil my picture, including in my house, or any other function.
February 11, 2010
Chennai