Social activist Dijo Kappen passes away, funeral today

Kottayam: Dijo Kappen, a noted social activist who actively worked beyond party politics for the protection of consumer and farmer rights, passed away. He was 69. He breathed his last at a private hospital in Pala at 9.30am on Friday.Kappen had been undergoing treatment following a car accident in Thiruvananthapuram on Oct 16, 2025. The funeral will be held at Cherupushpam Church cemetery at Palakad near Pala at 2pm on Sunday, after prayers at his residence.Born in the Kappil family in Pala Meenachil panchayat, Edamattom village, Kappen was the eldest son of the late K C Joseph and Mary Joseph. Kappen entered the public sphere through student politics. He became Kerala University Union general secretary in 1982. He was a member of the academic council and senate at Kerala University and served as a senate member at MG University for 10 years.He was the state president of Kerala Students Congress from 1983 to 1985 and the state president of Kerala Youth Front from 1989 to 1991. Disenchanted with power politics, Kappen retired from active politics in 1998 and started focusing on the rights of consumers and farmers. As a key figure at Center for Consumer Education, he achieved favourable verdicts in at least two dozen public interest litigations in Supreme Court and high court.He consistently agitated to make the operations of KSRTC and KSEB beneficial to the public.Kappen held leadership roles in various non-political organisations, including being president of Public Transport Protection Committee, president of Sabari Railway Central Action Council and president of Democratic Human Rights and Environment Protection Forum.He was a close confidant of the late former Thrikkakara MLA P T Thomas, who entrusted Kappen with instructions on how he wanted his last rites to be conducted.Kappen's wife Mini Kappen is planning director at Kerala University. His children are Ashwin D Kappen (Ireland), Mariyat D Kappen (a research student in English literature) and Edwin D Kappen (UK) and daughter-in-law Arsha (Ireland).