Kottayam (Kerala) | Noted Dalit thinker and writer K K Kochu died on Thursday at the Government Medical College Hospital here. He was 76.

Hospital sources said that he breathed his last while undergoing treatment for cancer.

Born on 2 February 1949 in Kallara near here, Kochu retired as a senior assistant from KSRTC in 2001.

In recognition of his comprehensive contributions, he was awarded the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award in 2021.

His autobiography "Dalithan" is one of his most notable works.

Other significant works of Kochu include Buddhanilekulla Dooram, Desheeyathakkoru Charithrapaatam, Keralacharithravum Samoohikaroopeekaranavum, Itathupakshamillatha Kaalam, Dalitpaatam, and Kalapavum Samskaravum.

He was active in periodicals and television debates, consistently upholding Dalit perspectives and making remarkable statements.

Condoling Kochu's demise, CPI(M) State Secretary M V Govindan said he was a personality who tirelessly wrote and worked to highlight the lives of Dalits in the country and to secure their rights.

"We share the grief of his family and fellow activists at his passing," Govindan said.