K. Lakshmana (born 1935) is a retired IGP (Inspector General ,of Police) from Kerala State Police department.Who was also convicted by court for giving order for fake encounter of Naxal Varghese, He was appointed in 1960 by Kerala State Police and his evolution from a young Dy.S.P to become an IGP was fascinating to the progressive forces in the Kerala Society especially because of his outstanding performance and closeness to K Karunakaran the late chief minister of kerala.
As Dy.S.P in the Anti-Corruption Wing of the Kerala Police in the 1960s, Lakshmana had handled important cases of corruption alleged against Chief Forest Conservatory, Public Works Department, Prisons Department, Directorate of Health Services, Medical Colleges etc. In all these instances, corrupt practices involved were successfully investigated and exposed by this Officer.
A significant detection on investigation conducted by Lakshmana was the surprise inspection of spurious X-ray equipments supplied in the State Health Department. Spurious led glass used in the X-ray Screen used in the X-ray rooms in hospitals as protection from radiation by the X-ray technicians were detected from various hospitals. Along with that, spurious protective aprons supplied to those X-ray units for use by technicians was also detected. Lakshmana has been instrumental in curtailing the health hazards caused to such X-ray technicians.
The first case of misuse of original genuine Security Paper used to print the currency notes of the Reserve Bank of India, by the counterfeiters of Kerala , after committing theft of the same from the Security Paper Mill of RBI in Hoshangabad was detected by the Counterfeit Squad of the Crime Branch CID Kerala headed by Lakshmana in the 1970s.
A member of quack medical practitioners were apprehended and prosecuted by the Crime Branch Team headed by him in the 1970s for the first time in the history of Kerala.
In a surprise inspection conducted at the Connemera Market, Palayam, Trivandrum in the 1960s he detected meat of diseased animals infected with TB being sold out as ‘pure mutton’ with forged seal of the Corporation Health Officer. Another detection during that raid was the practice of butchers to treat the skinned carcass of male calves of cows in betal leaf juice to make it appear as mutton rather than beef. Tails of goats grafted to the tail of such carcasses of calves to invite the customers were also detected. Such spurious and hazardous meat of low quality being supplied to Mental Hospital Trivandrum was also detected during the said raid conducted by this Officer.
Apart from his achievements in various investigations of crimes and in enquiries into corruption and other administrative lapses and irregularities, Lakshmana was known for his lightning inspections conducted in police stations and other police offices. His inspection and enquiry reports and case dairies later became the chosen reference materials in the police training colleges of the State Police. Lakshmana was also known for his strictness in enforcing discipline in the State Police in order to prevent misuse of police powers as a result of which he had become the target covert attack by the Kerala Police Association.
A police constable named P. Ramachandran Nair admitted publicly in 1998 that he had shot the Indian Communist party activist, Arikkad Varghese, on orders of Lakshmana, then a deputy superintendent of police. A gun was planted on the dead body to imply that he had been shot dead in an encounter with the police. On 28 October 2010, in a historic judgement a special CBI court found former police officer K. Lakshmana guilty of compelling Ramachandran Nair to shoot Varghese and was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of ten thousand rupees.[5] The verdict was later upheld by the Kerala High Court.[1]
[1] References ^ http://www.indianexpress.com/news/once-there-was-a-hero..../705882/0
