The death of Chittibabu, who formed a ‘human shield' to protect Stalin in jail

The Hindu

25-06-2025

The Emergency left behind many indelible memories — stories of resistance and brutal repression across India. Each State had its victims who would not live to tell their tales. If it was the young student Rajan in Kerala and actor Snehalatha Reddy in Karnataka, then in Tamil Nadu, it was C. Chittibabu — former Mayor of Chennai and DMK MP from Chengalpattu — who paid the ultimate price. He died on January 4, 1977, at the age of 41.
Chittibabu was imprisoned in the Madras Central Prison, a notorious site of brutality during the Emergency. It was there that he received a brutal lathi assault after shielding a young M.K. Stalin from attack inside a prison cell. He never recovered. 'I was beaten mercilessly, and former Mayor Chittibabu, who formed a shield to protect me, later succumbed to the injuries,' Mr. Stalin recalled a decade ago.
Chittibabu's death remains one of the most chilling episodes of the Emergency in Tamil Nadu. His wife, Rajalakshmi, filed an affidavit before the Justice M.M. Ismail Commission seeking justice. Her counsel, T.P. Radhakrishnan, even sought the suspension of the Inspector General of Prisons and the Jail Superintendent pending inquiry. Justice M.M. Ismail, however, stated he lacked the authority to suspend them, but he could forward the representation to the government. Convincing the Commission of the cause of death was no easy task.
Advocate N. Shanmugam, who also represented Rajalakshmi, relied heavily on Chittibabu's prison diary — 'every word of which rang true,' reported The Hindu in August 1977. 'The diary of Mr. Chittibabu was unassailable evidence. Unlike other convicts, the MISA detenus never knew when they would be released or what offence they were being held for. They had no legal recourse and depended solely on government mercy. The events noted by Mr. Chittibabu were not exaggerated. All the detenus were beaten. The medicines administered to them bore evidence of this. None of these incidents occurred in other prisons in Tamil Nadu,' he told the Commission.
Yet, the Commission remained unconvinced. It demanded concrete evidence linking the beating to Chittibabu's death. 'Mr. Justice Ismail said on material available, it was impossible to conclude that the beating in the jail had anything to do with the ultimate ailment and cause of Mr. Chittibabu's death. There was no evidence that he had been singled out and hunted. Medical opinion had said he died of a massive heart attack,' according to The Hindu Archives.
Still, on May 7, 1977, the Commission recorded the testimony of Rajmohan, one of two convicts serving life terms in Tiruchi jail. Rajmohan testified that both he and co-convict Vedayyan had written to DMK president M. Karunanidhi, claiming that the Chief Warder, Surulirajan, had admitted to them that Chittibabu was beaten and died as a result. They also claimed to have sent a letter to the Commission of Enquiry — though it never reached the authorities. That letter, notably, did not name Surulirajan.
Jail doctor L.K. Rangachari told the Commission that Chittibabu had been admitted and discharged from the prison hospital twice. On several occasions, he was referred to the Government Hospital. In one report, Dr. Rangachari noted that Chittibabu had a history of diabetes, myocardial infarction, piles, umbilical hernia, and anal and urethral strictures. He added that 'the protrusion of the umbilicus could have been caused by pressure on the abdominal portion of the body by beating or kicking.' Chittibabu had also complained of anal and urethral pain. 'It might have been possible that they were caused by pressure on the abdomen by beating or kicking,' the doctor said.
Two years ago, Mr. Stalin inaugurated a 500-m bridge in his Kolathur constituency, naming it the 'Mayor Chittibabu Bridge' — a gesture he said was made 'with gratitude.'