Comrade RNK: 101-Year-Old CPI Veteran Nallakannu Dies in Chennai
Comrade RNK: 101-Year-Old CPI Veteran Nallakannu Dies in Chennai
Tamil Nadu mourns veteran CPI leader R. Nallakannu, aka Comrade RNK, who died at 101 in Chennai. His body will be donated to Madras Medical College, with public homage planned.
R. Nallakannu, the 101-year-old veteran Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and freedom fighter from Tamil Nadu, passed away in Chennai at 1.55 p.m. on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, following prolonged illness and age-related ailments. He had been admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital since February 1.
Fondly known as ‘Comrade RNK’, he was the only surviving member of the Nellai Conspiracy Case. The centenarian is survived by two daughters, Andal and Kasi Bharathi.
Over the past 24 hours, there were fluctuations in his health condition. A team of specialists treated him. However, his body’s capacity to respond to medication gradually declined from this morning, and his condition worsened. Despite being in the intensive care unit, his organs failed, and he passed away at 1.55 p.m., the hospital superintendent said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
His body will be kept at the party’s State headquarters ‘Balan Illam’ at T. Nagar in Chennai for the public to pay homage. CPI State secretary M. Veerapandian said the body will be kept at the party headquarters from 5 p.m. on Wednesday to 3 p.m. on Thursday (February 26). His body will then be taken out in a procession. As per his wish, the body will be donated to Madras Medical College for medical research. He also said as a mark of respect to the departed leader, the CPI flags will fly at half-mast across Tamil Nadu for a week.
RNK had a long career in politics, serving as the CPI State secretary for three tenures since 1992. He was remembered for his commitment to communism and social justice, and he had attended events marking his 100th birthday in Chennai in December 2024, where leaders and supporters celebrated his decades-long work.
