SamantBrara at 05:52, 5 January 2026

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{{Year in Kerala}}Events in the year '''1997''' in '''Kerala'''.

== Incumbents ==
[[List of governors of Kerala|'''Governors of Kerala''']] -

* [[Khurshed Alam Khan]] till January 25.
* [[Sukhdev Singh Kang]] since January 25.

[[List of chief ministers of Kerala|'''Chief minister of Kerala''']] – [[E.K. Nayanar]]

== Events ==

* May 5 - A [[bus accident]] in [[Mylakkadu]], [[Kollam district]] on [[National Highway 66 (India)|National Highway 47]] claims ten lives.
* June 30 - [[Kerala State Co-operative Consumers Federation Limited]] starts 1020 ''Neeti Store'' across state through a formal inauguration by [[E. K. Nayanar]] at [[Thiruvananthapuram]].<ref>{{Cite web |title='The Kerala Government becomes Hindustan Lever's sole selling agent' |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/guest-column/story/19970804-kerala-government-becomes-hindustan-levers-sole-selling-agent-830446-1997-08-03 |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>
* July 9 - [[United Democratic Front (Kerala)|United Democratic Front]] conducts 18 hour [[Hartal]] in the state to protest against the arrest of [[M. V. Raghavan]] in connection with [[Koothuparamba firing]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rediff On The NeT: Congress strike paralyses Kerala |url=https://m.rediff.com/news/jul/09kerala.htm |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=m.rediff.com}}</ref>
* July 25 - [[K. R. Narayanan]] becomes the first [[Malayali]] and [[Dalit]] to become [[President of India]].
* July 28 - [[Kerala High Court]] declares bandh illegal and unconstitutional on a petition filed by the Ernakulam Chamber of Commerce.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kerala High Court bans bandhs, political parties and other organisations disappointed |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/states/kerala/story/19970811-kerala-high-court-bans-bandhs-political-parties-and-other-organisations-disappointed-831903-1997-08-10 |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>
* July - KSKTU under leadership of [[V. S. Achuthanandan]] launches SRFA (Save Rice Field Agitation) protest against conversion of paddy fields to commercial purposes and cash crops in [[Alappuzha district]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Narayanan |first=N.C. |date=2006-07-01 |title=For and Against Grain Land Use: Politics of Rice in Kerala, India |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/097300520500200107 |journal=International Journal of Rural Management |language=EN |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=123–144 |doi=10.1177/097300520500200107 |issn=0973-0052|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rediff On The NeT: Communist farmers go on a rampage in Kerala paddy fields |url=https://m.rediff.com/news/aug/01kerala.htm |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=m.rediff.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rediff On The NeT: Paddy stir may cultivate fresh trouble in Kerala CPI-M |url=https://m.rediff.com/news/1998/mar/30kerala.htm |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=m.rediff.com}}</ref>
* August 6 - A police raid in an ice cream parlor in [[Kozhikode]] reveals [[Ice cream parlour sex scandal]] allegedly involving [[P. K. Kunhalikutty]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-12-02 |title=A dented image |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/article30225631.ece |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Frontline |language=en}}</ref>
* October 9 - [[Government of Kerala]] takes control over [[Sivagiri Mutt]] through an ordinance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Left Democratic Front government in Kerala takes over Sivagiri Mutt |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/states/kerala/story/19971027-left-democratic-front-government-in-kerala-takes-over-sivagiri-mutt-830807-1997-10-26 |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>
* October 17 - [[Elizabeth II]] the monarch of [[United Kingdom]] visits Kochi.<ref>{{Cite news |last=S |first=Priyadershini |date=2022-09-09 |title=Queen Elizabeth’s short and sweet visit to Kochi in 1997 |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/queen-elizabeths-short-and-sweet-visit-to-kochi-in-1997/article65870721.ece |access-date=2023-04-30 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
* October - [[Arundhati Roy]] becomes the first Indian author to win [[Booker Prize]]. She won the prize for her first book [[The God of Small Things]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy brings recognition to Indo-Anglian writing |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19971027-booker-prize-winner-arundhati-roy-brings-recognition-to-indo-anglian-writing-830808-1997-10-26 |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>
* December 6 - An [[Islamic fundamentalism|Islamic fundamentalist]] organization carries out blasts in [[Chennai-Alleppey Express]] at [[Thrissur railway station]] killing three.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rediff On The NeT: 10 killed, 64 hurt in 3 train blasts |url=https://m.rediff.com/news/dec/06blast.htm |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=m.rediff.com}}</ref>

== Deaths ==

* 15 July - [[Jayaram Padikkal]], [[Indian Police Service]] officer, 60.
* December 12 - [[M. G. Soman]], actor, 56.

== See also ==

* [[History of Kerala]]
* [[1997 in India]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}{{Commons category-inline}}

[[Category:1997 in India]]
[[Category:Years in Kerala]]
[[Category:1990s in Kerala]]

1997 in Kerala - Revision history

SamantBrara at 05:52, 5 January 2026