From the Australian Guardian:
India’s ‘dosa king’ restaurateur dies one week into life term for murder
P Rajagopal, founder of popular Saravana Bhavan restaurant chain, dies of cardiac failure
Rebecca Ratcliffe in Delhi
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Saravana Bhavan staff pay tribute to the restaurant chain’s founder, P Rajagopal, in Chennai. Photograph: P Ravikumar/Reuters |
India’s “dosa king”, the founder of a global restaurant chain, has died days after losing a last-ditch attempt to avoid a life sentence for murder.
P Rajagopal, 71, who rose from humble beginnings to run one of the world’s largest chains of vegetarian restaurants, had been convicted of killing the husband of a woman he wanted to make his third wife.
He reportedly became obsessed with the woman, then in her 20s, who was already married and had rejected his advances. He harassed, threatened and tried to blackmail her, and hired a gunman to kill the woman’s husband. One attempt was unsuccessful, but the man’s body was later found in a forest in Tamil Nadu.
Rajagopal had fought for 15 years to avoid prison but was ordered to surrender last week. He gave himself up at the high court in Chennai, arriving in an ambulance with an oxygen mask strapped to his face.
P Rajagopal, 71, who rose from humble beginnings to run one of the world’s largest chains of vegetarian restaurants, had been convicted of killing the husband of a woman he wanted to make his third wife.
He reportedly became obsessed with the woman, then in her 20s, who was already married and had rejected his advances. He harassed, threatened and tried to blackmail her, and hired a gunman to kill the woman’s husband. One attempt was unsuccessful, but the man’s body was later found in a forest in Tamil Nadu.
Rajagopal had fought for 15 years to avoid prison but was ordered to surrender last week. He gave himself up at the high court in Chennai, arriving in an ambulance with an oxygen mask strapped to his face.
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Vehicles pass a branch of Saravana Bhavan in Chennai. The vegetarian restaurant chain was founded in 1981. Photograph: Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty |
On Tuesday, he was taken with heart problems to Vijaya hospital in Chennai, where he died. “We failed to revive him and he passed away this morning due to cardiac failure,” a hospital official told Agence France-Presse.
His restaurant chain, Saravana Bhavan, serves south Indian delicacies such as dosa pancakes, deep-fried vadas and idli rice cakes. Inside some branches, copies of his memoirs are also sold.
“I moved to Chennai maybe about 25 or 26 years ago and Saravana Bhavan was an iconic place,” said Ameeta Agnihotri, a food critic in Chennai. “It was the place that we went to for hygienic, reasonably priced food.”
Born in a remote village in Tamil Nadu, Rajagopal started out as a grocer, before opening his debut restaurant in the KK Nagar township in 1981. Today his chain has scores of branches across India as well as more than 80 countries, with restaurants in London, Sydney and New York popular among the diaspora.
The chain employs thousands, and in Chennai staff are reported to receive generous pensions and benefits, inspiring fierce loyalty.
In 2004, Rajagopal was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years. When he appealed, the sentence was increased to life and the punishment was upheld by the supreme court in March.
His restaurant chain, Saravana Bhavan, serves south Indian delicacies such as dosa pancakes, deep-fried vadas and idli rice cakes. Inside some branches, copies of his memoirs are also sold.
“I moved to Chennai maybe about 25 or 26 years ago and Saravana Bhavan was an iconic place,” said Ameeta Agnihotri, a food critic in Chennai. “It was the place that we went to for hygienic, reasonably priced food.”
Born in a remote village in Tamil Nadu, Rajagopal started out as a grocer, before opening his debut restaurant in the KK Nagar township in 1981. Today his chain has scores of branches across India as well as more than 80 countries, with restaurants in London, Sydney and New York popular among the diaspora.
The chain employs thousands, and in Chennai staff are reported to receive generous pensions and benefits, inspiring fierce loyalty.
In 2004, Rajagopal was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years. When he appealed, the sentence was increased to life and the punishment was upheld by the supreme court in March.
The weakness of Men when they reached the height of Power, Wealth or Positions in societies.
ReplyDeleteThey think they have become Immortals/Gods/Saints/Prophets and their wrongs and victims will always be forgiven, suppressed, wipe-out and not see the light of day or justice based on their status.
Such Men will never ever live to gloat nor hide from Karma so long as there remains among human beings, a bigger society which has higher morals, sense of justice, empathy for others and for humanity.
They can only live and continue to prosper in failed, corrupted, uncultured and uncivilised countries as history has shown many times.
In religious terms, they are called the Satans, Setan, Syiatan, Devils roaming the world out to destroy and causing miseries to societies and mankind.
Non-religious terms, they are the Scums of societies and Mankind.
Now you know why Indian organizations are dysfunctional.
ReplyDeleteAt least Samy Vellu was constrained by Anglo-Malay institutions.
It can't be Anglo-anything. Because it is clear Anglo-Indian doesn't work (but still better than pure Cina).
Cina should thank these same institutions too.
The fact that they don't but continue to stay here anyway is revealing enough.
If you want to know how he stayed out of jail so long, think of all the contorted excuses some people make to help themselves believe that some politician are innocent of sexual crimes ... ahem .. some recently ... so now you faham ... ahem ...
ReplyDeleteNot that much different from Altantuya's murder, except in Altantuya's case, only the assassins were caught and tried , but the one who ordered the killing had the power to suppress any case against him.
ReplyDeleteSaravana Bhavan vegetarian food is yummy indeed. I recommend it.
ReplyDelete