KOZHIKODE: Prof. KK Abdul Gaffar, one of India's most respected engineering educationists, a pioneering academic administrator who helped shape higher education in both India and the United Arab Emirates, and a key witness in the landmark Rajan custodial disappearance case during the Emergency, passed away on Sunday.
He was 89. Age-related ailments were cited as the cause of death.
Over a distinguished career spanning several decades, Prof. Abdul Gaffar earned recognition as an academic leader, consultant engineer, author, and institution builder whose influence extended far beyond the classroom. His contributions played a significant role in advancing engineering and medical education, inspiring generations of students and educators across India and the Gulf.
Among his most enduring achievements was his pivotal role in the establishment and expansion of Gulf Medical University in Ajman, formerly known as Gulf Medical College. Serving as Senior Director and Commissioning Lead, he was instrumental in developing the institution during its formative years, helping transform it into one of the UAE's leading medical universities. His work made him a widely respected figure within the expatriate academic community and the country's higher education sector.
Before moving to the UAE, Prof. Abdul Gaffar held several prestigious academic positions in India.
He served as Professor and Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut, then known as the Regional Engineering College (REC), and at TKM College of Engineering, Kollam. He also led the Anjuman Institute of Technology and Management in Bhatkal, Karnataka, as Principal, where he was credited with strengthening engineering education and academic administration.
His professional expertise also extended into the industrial sector. He worked as a consultant engineer with Saudi Aramco Technical Services Company, bringing together technical excellence and academic leadership throughout his career.
Beyond engineering and education, Prof. Abdul Gaffar occupied a unique place in Kerala's modern history due to his association with the Rajan case.
As a faculty member at REC Kozhikode, he was the last known person to see engineering student P. Rajan before the student was taken into police custody on March 1, 1976. Rajan's subsequent disappearance became one of the country's most widely remembered cases of custodial disappearance.
Prof. Abdul Gaffar later chronicled his experiences in his Malayalam autobiography, Njaan Sakshi (I Am the Witness), which was released by former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2023. The memoir revisits the Rajan case through the eyes of a witness while documenting his long academic career. It also describes the pressures he said he faced from government authorities and the police to alter his testimony during the investigation, making the book an important historical account of one of Kerala's defining legal and political episodes.
Throughout his life, Prof. Abdul Gaffar was regarded as a mentor committed to academic excellence, institutional development, and educational reform. Colleagues and former students remembered him for his disciplined leadership, integrity, and unwavering dedication to nurturing future generations of engineers and professionals.
He is survived by his wife, Jameela Shamnad, and four children: Dr. Shajir Gaffar, Dr. Farida Gaffar, Dr. Jamalunnisa Gaffar, and engineer Shahnaz Gaffar.