Eachara warrier is no more

Prof Eachara Warrier, a noted human rights activist and father of  P Rajan, a engineering college student who was tortured to death by the police during the Emergency passed away at Thrissur. He was 86.

The mortal remains were consigned to flames on the premises of his ancestral house in Thiruvulakavu Cherpu yesterday.  He is survived by two daughters. His wife, Radha Warrier, died in Mar 2000.

Warrier, a Professor of Hindi, had been fighting against the authoritarianism and injustices for the past three decades ever since his son was whisked away by the Police on Mar 01, 1976, when Mr Karunakaran was the Home Minister, and not to be seen thereafter.

He had authored a book “ Oru Achante Ormakurippukal” which had won the Sahithya Academy Award for the best autobiography in 2004. In this book he had recalled that “more than the attitude of K Karunakaran, it was the response of the then Chief Minister, Achutha Menon that had pained him”.

The immediate reaction of  Mr Karunakaran, who had to resign following a habeas corpus petition filed by Prof Warrier, when he was informed of the death, was “which Eachara Warrier? What is his importance and contribution to the country? Is he the representative of any political party or movement?