Veteran CPI(M) leader MM Lawrence, who was one of the leaders who participated in the attack on the police station in Edappally here during the Communist uprising in Kerala in 1950, died on Saturday, party sources said.
He was 95. He died in a private hospital where he had been receiving treatment for an age-related illness for about a month.
Lawrence’s body, which was shifted to the hospital mortuary, will be kept at his residence, the CPI(M) Ernakulam district committee office, and the city hall on Monday for the public to pay their last respects.
The body will later be handed over to the Government Medical College Hospital, Ernakulam, at 4 pm on Monday, the CPI (M) said in a statement.
According to CPI(M) leader and State Industries Minister P Rajeeve, the body will be donated to a medical college, to fulfill the last wish, which had earlier been discussed with the family.
A former Lok Sabha member representing the Idukki seat, Lawrence served in various capacities, including as a CPI(M) Central Committee member, state secretariat member, CITU state general secretary, and Left Democratic Front (LDF) committee.
Born on June 15, 1929, in Mulavukad near Ernakulam, Lawrence participated in the struggle for the country’s independence.
Lawrence was expelled from St Albert’s School for arriving with a tricolor flag tucked into his pocket.
He then continued his studies at Ernakulam Municipal Islamic School. He completed his formal education after class 10 and was actively involved in politics.
Lawrence joined the Communist Party in 1946.
The Edappally Police Station attack, an important event in the historical struggle of the Communist movement in Kerala, took place on the night of February 28, 1950.
At that time, the Communist Party was banned in the country, and its leaders went into hiding. The incident is remembered as one of the most important episodes in the political history of Kerala.
On March 9, 1950, the undivided Communist Party called a national railroad strike. After the planning meeting, leaders NK Madhavan and Vareethukutty were arrested.
In response, the party held a secret meeting on February 27 at Ponekkara, near here, and decided to release him from Edappally Police Station.
A 17-member action committee, including Lawrence, was tasked with attacking.
On February 28, a group of Communists attacked the station, but the hand grenades failed to explode.
Armed with two guns and a crude stick, he killed two policemen but could not free the leaders, as a policeman brought the keys to the house.
The group grabbed two guns and fled, but Lawrence and the others were later captured.
KU Das, one of the members of the group, died of injuries sustained during police torture. In total, 33 people were charged in the case.
A prominent critic of veteran leader VS Achuthanandan in the CPI(M), Lawrence’s political career was affected by factionalism in the CPI(M).
When he served as LDF convenor in the second half of the 1990s, the Achuthanandan faction dominated the CPI(M), leading to Lawrence’s demotion to the regional committee after the 1998 CPI(M) state conference in Palakkad.
After being removed from the powerful state secretariat and other committee posts, he resigned as LDF convenor. However, in 2004, he returned to the state committee.
Apologizing for Lawrence’s death, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recalled that Lawrence’s political life was one of extreme sacrifice and great suffering.
“After the attack case at Edappally Police Station, Comrade Lawrence suffered brutal torture. He and his comrades were tied with ropes, barely clothed, and forced to bend at the waist. The police paraded them for hours in public, beat them with guns,” said the chief minister.
He described Lawrence as a “revolutionary and strong leader of the Communist movement,” noting that his death was a great loss to the CPI(M), the Left, and the working class struggle in the country.
“With his death, the nation has lost a steadfast political visionary who connected the era of national independence struggle with the modern era. Comrade Lawrence’s legacy is one of extraordinary struggle for democratic and secular values,” he said.
The CPI(M) state secretariat said the leader played an important role in organizing workers from various sectors, including the Kochi port, and empowering plantation workers through the trade union movement.
As the leader of the Left Democratic Front, he is well known in Kerala.
“The departure of Lawrence is a significant loss for the party and the Left movement. The Secretariat expresses its condolences, expressing the sadness of his family, party activists, and relatives,” he said in a release.
Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, expressing condolences on Lawrence’s death, said the senior leader was a strong union leader and a good organizer.
The Congress leader said that the framework of the Communist Party never deterred Lawrence from taking a strong and steadfast stand.
“The loss of Lawrence is an irreparable thing for Kerala politics. I share the grief of the family members,” Satheesan said.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from the feed of syndicated news agency – PTI)
