Who is C Sadanandan? Who lost his legs in 1994 political violence; now nominated to Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday nominated C Sadanandan, Kerala BJP vice-president and a survivor of brutal political violence in Kannur, to the Rajya Sabha. Who is C Sadanandan Master?The 61-year-old retired teacher hails from Parinchery in Kannur, a region long marked by political clashes.Sadanandan is married to Vanitha Rani, a retired teacher, and they have a daughter, Yamunabharathi S.Sadanandan lost both his legs in 1994, when he was the RSS sarkaryavahak of Kannur, in a brutal attack by alleged CPM cadres. The assault, which occurred in Uravachal village on the night of January 25, 1994, involved assailants pinning him down and hacking off both legs, which were later found discarded nearby. Though police arrived and rushed him to the hospital, his legs could not be reattached due to lack of facilities.

At the time, Sadanandan was a teacher at Kuzhikkal LP School.Despite the horrific attack, Sadanandan continued his association with RSS and BJP, walking with the help of prosthetic legs. He went on to contest elections from Koothuparamba Assembly constituency in 2016 and 2021 as a BJP candidate.Sadanandan had initially been aligned with the SFI, the student wing of the CPM, before joining the RSS in 1984. He later held several key Sangh roles including Sarkaryavah of Kannur district, Baudhik Pramukh of Kozhikode and Thrissur Mahanagar, and Vibhag Baudhik Pramukh of Ernakulam.

After the attack, he resumed teaching at Sri Durga Vilasam HSS in Peramangalam, Thrissur, and retired in April 2020. He also served as state president of Deseeya Adhyapaka Parishad, an RSS-affiliated teachers’ organization.‘Epitome of courage’: PM Narendra Modi praises Sadanandan Reacting to the Rajya Sabha nomination, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Sadanandan, calling his life “the epitome of courage and refusal to bow to injustice.” In a post on X, Modi added, “Violence and intimidation couldn’t deter his spirit towards national development.

His efforts as a teacher and social worker are commendable.”Sadanandan, in his response, expressed happiness and said the nomination was a step towards strengthening BJP's efforts in Kerala. He refrained from framing the decision as retaliation against political violence, instead calling for peace.“Let us view those days as a nightmare and forget it. Several party workers like me were maimed and many mothers and widows lost their dear ones. We worked hard to end the culture of ‘eye for an eye’. There is now peace in Kannur, and I want it to continue,” he said.His nomination is seen as a symbolic recognition of political violence survivors and an attempt to bring the issue of Kannur’s decades-long political bloodshed to the national stage, while also energizing the BJP cadre in Kerala.