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2 min readThiruvananthapuramUpdated: Feb 19, 2026 12:31 PM IST
Veteran journalist K Govindan Kutty, who survived and first reported the 1977 plane crash involving PM Morarji Desai, has died in Thiruvananthapuram. (Express Photo)
Veteran journalist and author K Govindan Kutty died in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. He was 81 years old.
Govindan Kutty, who started his career with All India Radio, later moved to the print medium, where he worked with publications including The Indian Express, The Financial Express and India Today.
He was the first to report the 1977 crash of a plane carrying then Prime Minister Morarji Desai in Assam’s Jorhat. As a reporter with AIR, Govindan Kutty was with Desai in the aircraft to cover the Prime Minister’s Northeast visit. Desai, Govindan Kutty and 15 others survived the crash. After the crash, the journalist managed to make his way out of the aircraft through an emergency exit. Later, the survivors found a military outpost nearby, from where Govindan Kutty made a telephone call to AIR and reported the incident ahead of its next bulletin on the night of November 4, 1977.
He also written several books, including biographies of Congress veteran K Karunakaran and former election commissioner T N Seshan. His other noted work was on the rise and fall of biscuit king Rajan Pillai (A Wasted Death), which he had authored with Rajmohan Pillai. Govindan Kutty also published a collection of essays in English, Vararuchi’s Children: Aspects of Kerala, which dealt with the socio-economic and cultural life of Kerala.
He also anchored a programme called Kazhchavattam in Malayalam TV channel Asianet News. He acted in the 2009 Malayalam film Ritu, directed by Shyamaprasad.
Sajan Gopalan, former assistant director at Doordarshan, recalled Govindan Kutty as a journalist who had represented the seriousness of the profession. “In-depth reading and analysis were among his defining strengths as a journalist. He worked at a time when print media dominated the public sphere and politics largely revolved around print journalism. Govindan Kutty was an iconoclast,” Gopalan said.
Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More
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