Lawrence Fernandes

Lawrence Fernandes (1932-14 November 2005) was a socialist political leader from India. He was brother of George Fernandes.[1]

Lawrence Fernandes was born on 1932 to John Joseph Fernandes and Alice Martha Fernandes (née Pinto), in Mangalore to a Mangalorean Catholic family.[2] He was the second of six children, his siblings are George, Michael, Paul, Aloysius, and Richard.[1]

During the Emergency, he was arrested on 1 May 1976[3] by the Government and brutally tortured[4] and held in illegal custody[5] before being transferred to the Bangalore Central Jail, to extract from him whereabouts of his elder brother George Fernandes. Madhu Dandavate, who was arrested and was in the same jail wrote a letter to Indira Gandhi that he is being inhumanely tortured and may even die.[6] Even Lal Krishna Advani in his book mentions about torture Lawrence had to go through in jail during the Emergency.[7] He was continuously beaten up leading to several fractures all over his body.[5] At the time of his release at end of the Emergency he looked like a live skeleton.[5] He was reduced to a mental and physical wreck in jail[8] and after his release at the end of Emergency he lived many years as a wreck.[3][5]

Lawrence later said

I did not break down despite third degree methods used by police. I was prepared to rather die than betray George and others.[9]

He served as former Mayor of Bangalore in 1980 and as a corporator of the Richmond Town ward before 1980.[1] In 1987-88 he unsuccessfully contested as a Janata Dal candidate for the Bangalore North Lok Sabha Constituency.[1]

He died at Bangalore on 14 November 2005.[1]

Lawrence Fernandes Foundation for the welfare and benefit of the poor and need was launched in his memory by his brothers George Fernandes, Michael, Aloysius and others.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Lawrence Fernandes dead". The Hindu. 15 November 2005. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  2. Lasrado, Richie. "A Knight in Shining Armour (A profile of union defence minister George Fernandes)". Daijiworld Media Pvt Ltd Mangalore. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  3. My Country and My Rulers by V B Kulkarni. Jaico Press. 1977. p. 282.
  4. Gupte, Pranay (2011). Mother India: A Political Biography of Indira Gandhi By Pranay Gupte. ISBN 9788184755480. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  5. Krishna, Ananth V. (2011). India Since Independence: Making Sense Of Indian Politics By Ananth V. Krishna. p. 162. ISBN 9788131734650.
  6. Dandavate, Madhu (2005). Dialogue with Life. p. 78. ISBN 9788177648560. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  7. Advani, L. K. (2008). My Country My Life By L. K. Advani. ISBN 9788129113634.
  8. Human Rights in India: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on International Organizations of the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, Ninety-fourth Congress, Second Session by United States. Congress. House. Committee on International Relations. Subcommittee on International Organizations - U.S. Government Printing Office, 1976 pp:120
  9. Jai, Janak Raj (1996). Commissions and Omissions in the Administration of Justice By Janak Raj Jai. p. 31. ISBN 9788187498872.
  10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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