Police on Sunday confirmed that a body recovered from the Porur Lake was identified as that of Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader W.R. Varada Rajan by his wife Saraswathi.
He is said to have committed suicide, based on two notes he had left before going missing.
City Police Commissioner T. Rajendran said Ms. Saraswathi visited the mortuary at Government Royapettah Hospital and identified the body, which was recovered from the lake on February 13.
The body would be handed over to his family after a DNA test. A former central committee member of the CPI (M), 64-year-old Varada Rajan was relieved of all elected posts following disciplinary action by the party.
Two notes
In the first note written on February 6, he had said though he had successfully weathered inner party struggles, he could not succeed in the struggle in his life.
He had quoted a couplet from Thirukkural saying that like the mythical Kavarimaan (musk deer), which would not survive after losing a hair on its body, an honourable person would not live after losing his honour.
Though he had argued that Communists had no faith in suicide, the idea in the Thirukkural couplet prevailed.
In the second note written in February 11, he had said his bank accounts should be closed and the entire cash balance should be given to the party. He wanted all his books to be donated to the party’s libraries and Theekathir, the party organ. A laptop, presented by his son, should be given to Theekathir. My body should be given for medical research,” he said. There should be no function to commemorate his memory, he had stressed.
Varada Rajan, who had his political origin in Tamilarasu Kazhagam headed by late M.P. Sivagnanam, worked in the Reserve Bank of India before becoming a full-time member of the CPI(M). He was elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 1989. He was the member of the party’s State committee and State secretariat. His wife was also an employee of the RBI.
DNA test
CPI(M) leaders, including party State secretary G. Ramakrishnan, visited the mortuary. He told reporters that there are a few identification marks that matched his body profile. “But we will wait till the DNA test and forensic studies are done.” Police Commissioner Rajendran said a DNA test would be conducted, besides fingerprint analysis. “We have sent a requisition to the US Consulate in Chennai, asking for Mr. Varadarajan’s fingerprint that he had recorded for his visa application,” he added.
