Kollam, Kerala: For 45 years, Tara Vijayan lived with one unanswered question: what really happened to her husband, S Vijayan?

Tara, a retired panchayat superintendent, died at around 11.30 am on Thursday at her home, Vijayatara, at Thalakkulam in Puthenkulam, Kollam. She was 90.

Her husband was found dead in a well at the Eroor panchayat office on June 23, 1981. What followed was a decades-long search for answers that became the defining part of Tara’s life.

A promise she kept for 45 years

Tara had made a vow after her husband's death. She would not tie her hair until she found out what had happened to him.

She kept that promise for 45 years.

She did not limit her efforts to official complaints or requests for an inquiry. At one point, Tara staged a hunger strike in front of the Kerala Secretariat along with her children, seeking answers about her husband's death.

She approached authorities repeatedly and continued to raise questions about the circumstances in which Vijayan died.

What happened to S Vijayan?

Vijayan was the executive officer of Eroor panchayat. At the time, he was staying at the panchayat office because travelling home was difficult.

He had gone to the office after submitting a letter seeking a transfer to the district panchayat office. He was later reported missing.

Two days later, he was found dead in a well at the panchayat office.

The delay in informing his relatives became one of the issues that troubled the family. They questioned why they were not informed about his disappearance and death earlier.

There were other questions too.

Before his death, Vijayan had raised allegations about payments made to contractors. According to the family, records had been created for roads that were actually constructed by private individuals, after which payments were made to contractors.

The family continued to seek clarity on these issues and whether they had any connection with what happened to Vijayan.

She built her life around the search

Tara's search continued alongside her own career in government service.

She had started working as a panchayat clerk and eventually retired as a superintendent. Even while continuing with her professional life, she kept pursuing the questions surrounding her husband's death.

The years passed, but the questions remained.

According to her family, Tara began losing her memories about six years ago. She continued to live at her home in Puthenkulam until her death on Thursday.

For nearly half a century, her search for an explanation had remained unfinished.