India
Veteran Freedom Fighter P. Vasu Dies at 103 in Kerala
Veteran freedom fighter P. Vasu, known as ‘Socio Vasu’, died at his home in Cheruvannur, Kozhikode, Kerala, on Thursday, October 8, 2026. He was 103 years old. Vasu took part in the Quit India Movement and led a protest march from Kundaithodu to Cheruvannur, during which he was beaten and imprisoned by British police. After India gained independence, he joined the socialist movement and received party membership from Jayaprakash Narayan in Kozhikode, earning him the nickname ‘Socio Vasu’. In 1951, he declined a grant of 10 acres of land and ₹2,000 offered by the Madras Presidency to freedom fighters, stating that he had fought for the country’s independence and did not seek material rewards. During the Emergency, he participated in a picketing protest at post offices, was beaten by police, and was hospitalized for nearly a month. For his contributions to the freedom movement, he was felicitated in New Delhi in 1997 by then President K.R. Narayanan.