Though 66 years have passed, the massacre of 50 communists inside the Salem Jail (on 11th February 1950)still haunt us.
The Congress government both at centre and in undivided Madras Province were hunting the Communist leaders and hundreds of them were put in various jails. Most of them were freedom fighters and had sacrificed their entire lives fighting for the independence of the country. The jailed comrades organised and demanded better treatment and eatable food. The reaction was the brutal firing against the communists inside the jail. 22 comrades were murdered in cold blood. One of them was well known to me, was my neighbour and father of my classmate. He was a weak old man, Unni Gurukkal. He was arrested just because he was Communist and put in jail. He also was shot dead in the jail massacre.
On this 66 anniversary of their martyrdom, we pay our respectful homage to these comrades!