A fortnight after India became a Republic, Madras State witnessed a sensational prison massacre that left 22 Communists dead. Around 12.35 p.m. on February 11, 1950, Communist prisoners started rioting in the Salem Central Jail Annexe. In the firing by prison officials that followed, apart from the fatalities, 102 prisoners and 21 jail staff members were injured. Among the dead were 19 Malayalis, two Tamils, and a Telugu. The Communist Party of India was then a banned organisation. Its leaders, including those of its farmers’ wing from the Malabar region, were lodged in different prisons in the State.
“Rioting took place in the Jail Annexe, situated opposite the main premises of the jail on the other side of the road. The Communist prisoners who were reported to have been armed with window panels, frames, sticks, etc., disobeyed the jailor’s orders when he came there at about 12-35 p.m. to-day. The warders were mobilised and a clash took place between the warders and the Communist prisoners,” reads a report in The Hindu dated February 12, 1950.
17 killed on the spot
District Magistrate Sivasankaran Pillai told journalists that the Head Warder had directed the Communists — 222 of them — to go to their workshop with their caps and “press tickets” (also referred as ‘breast tickets’) on. The prisoners refused to proceed despite persuasion by Reserve Deputy Jailor Aiya Pillai (elsewhere Ayyavu Pillai), Warder Raju Naidu, and Jailor Krishna Naidu, “who were all belaboured”. Ammunition was ordered to be taken from the main premises of the jail and after alarm, firing was ordered which resulted in 17 Communist convicts being killed on the spot. The rest succumbed at hospital.
