• Know in brief about the freedom fighters of India whose names most of us might not have heard. End of article has links to articles on other unknown freedom fighters.

A freedom fighter is one who is engaged in a resistance movement against an oppressive and illegitimate government. In India’s relentless fight for freedom from British rule, there are many unsung patriots who chose armed rebellion and sacrificed their lives. This article pays homage to them by narrating their role for the cause of freeing India from the greatest colonial power. 

Alluri Sitarama Raju

At the age of 18, he became a sanyasi and was regarded by the local tribals as their saviour from the unjust British rule. The British passed the ‘Madras Forest Act’ by which the tribals were not allowed to graze their cattle or collect firewood, and other items from the forest and were even banned from cultivating the land.

Sitarama Raju organised the tribals to rebel against this injustice which is known as Manyam Rebellion or Rampa Rebellion. The tribals refused to work for the British in constructing roads and railway lines. They started to raid police stations and steal arms and ammunition for their fight. The British declared Sitarama Raju a wanted criminal and he carried a bounty on his head. He surrendered hoping that his people would be set free.

But the British shot him in 1924. His courage and sacrifice earned him the title of ‘Manyam Veerudu’ (Hero of the Jungle). A statue was erected in his honour. 

This article was first published in the Bhavan’s Journal.

Thalakkal Chandu

This warrior was a prominent tribal chief under Kerala Varma, Pazhassi Raja of the Kottayam royal family. He headed the Kurichiya army which waged fierce battles against British incursions. The tribals suffered great hardships and humiliation under the British and lived in fear. The tribals led by Chandu attacked the British camp in Wayanad. The tribals armed with bows and arrows, numbering 150, killed all the 70 British soldiers and looted the camp.

The British captured Chandu in 1805, and he was brutally tortured and publicly executed. Chandu inspired many tribals to join the freedom struggle.

Surya Sen

He was a school teacher, known as ‘Masterda’. He participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1926 and was imprisoned for two years. After his release from prison, Surya Sen organised the Chittagong branch of the Indian Republican Army (IRA). 

In 1930, he masterminded the famous Chittagong armoury raid to steal arms and ammunition. The British army searched for the revolutionaries who hid in the nearby forest and villages. Many of the revolutionaries were trapped and killed. Masterda and other fighters continued their raids on Government-owned properties.

Unfortunately he was caught in 1933 and sentenced to death. As a martyr, he continues to inspire bravery in the youth to fight injustice.

Triveni of the Independence Movement in Tamil Nadu. 

Sukhdev Thapar

Seeing the hardships and pain of his people, Sukhdev vowed to free India from British slavery. He organised revolutionary cells in Punjab and elsewhere in North India. He was an active participant in many revolutionary activities like the ‘Prison Hunger Strike’ in 1929. He is known for his involvement in the Lahore Conspiracy Case, where he had mistakenly killed Colonel J.P. Saunders. (He had actually wanted to kill the police officer who had ordered the lathi charge in which Lala Lajpat Rai was severely injured, eventually leading to his death.) 

Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt were his comrades. On investigation, the revolutionaries involved in the murder of Col. Saunders were found and arrested. Even in the courtroom, they shouted slogans like ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ (Long Live the Revolution) and sang patriotic songs without fear. The whole country staged protests for their release. 

But Sukhdev and the other revolutionaries were hanged in Lahore jail in 1931.

Jhalkari Bai

She led the women’s wing of the army, called Durga Dal, under Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi during the 1857 revolt. In 1858, when the British forces attacked Jhansi fort, Jhalkari Bai suggested that the queen should escape from the palace with her child. Since Jhalkari closely resembled the Rani, she disguised herself as the Rani and commanded the army. This ruse worked and gave time to the queen to escape with her child. Jhalkari Bai fought and killed many British soldiers. Whether she was killed in the battle is not known. 

Buxi Jagabandhu - Paika Rebellion of 1817.

Ashfaqulla Khan

He had a great love for his country and wanted to see it free from foreign domination. He believed in armed rebellion, which he carried out with other revolutionary youths. Ram Prasad Bismil was one of the prominent members of this group. He and his friends looted a train carrying government money in Kakori, near Lucknow. While the others were caught, Ashfaqulla was not traced because he had hidden in a nearby sugarcane field. He moved to Delhi where one of his friends betrayed him and he was caught by the police. All the members, including Ashfaqulla Khan, were sentenced to death.

The ‘Kakori rebel’ is remembered for his love of his motherland and for his courage. 

Tiruppur Kumaran

Deeply influenced by the ideals of Gandhiji, he participated in public demonstrations. In 1932, during one of these demonstrations, Gandhiji was arrested. Riots and protests were carried out everywhere, including Tiruppur, near Salem. People carried the flag of the nationalists though it was banned. One of them was Kumaran.

When lathi charge was ordered, he did not let the flag touch the ground, protecting it all the while. Later he was found unconscious, in a dying state, with the flag. He succumbed to his injuries at a young age. His martyrdom earned him the title Kodi Kaatha Kumaran (Kumaran who saved the flag).

Vanchinathan Iyer

He is known for giving up his life for the attainment of Independence. Influenced by other revolutionaries, he joined a revolutionary organisation with the single objective of freeing India. Seeing the unfair treatment meted out to activists of the Swadeshi movement by R.W. Ashe, the Collector of Tirunelveli District, he decided to kill him. In 1911, Vanchinathan shot Ashe as he was travelling in a train. Vanchinathan was later found dead with a gunshot wound in his mouth.

This was the first political assassination in South India, under British rule.

Khudiram Bose

He was one of the youngest martyrs in India’s freedom struggle. He took part in many revolutionary activities against the British. In 1908, he attempted to kill the British Chief Magistrate, Douglas Kingsford, at Muzaffarpur. Khudiram failed in his attempt and Kingsford escaped, but in the process two British women got killed. Khudiram was arrested and hanged to death for the murder of the two women. He was only 18 years old at the time. The jail where he was imprisoned in Midnapore is named after him. 

Chandrasekhar Azad

Park in Orchha, MP with pratima of Azad.

Azad was drawn into the Indian national movement at the age of 15. When asked for his name, he said “Azad” - freedom. Azad participated in several violent crimes, including the killing of a British police officer in 1928. His crimes made him a wanted man. But he eluded the police for many years. The police were determined to capture him. 

When he arranged to meet a revolutionary at Allahabad’s Alfred Park (now Azad Park), the police surrounded him and he was fatally shot. 

Anant Laxman Kanhere

He killed the collector of Nashik, Jackson, in 1909. It was an important event in the revolutionary movement in Maharashtra and Kanhere is revered as a great martyr. He was tried by the Bombay High Court and executed at the age of 18.

Umaji Naik

He was a heroic fighter who carried a bounty of Rs. 10,000 on his head for waging war against the British. He encouraged people to loot government property, avoid paying taxes, and quit government jobs. Enraged by his actions, the British tried to capture him but could not. He was ultimately betrayed by a close colleague and arrested in Bhor district. Umaji was sentenced to death in 1832.

There are many others who fought for India’s freedom, including Kulapati K. M. Munshi, who was imprisoned twice for his participation in the non-cooperative movements. There are thousands of other unknown, unsung freedom fighters who died for the motherland. We salute them on the occasion of our Independence Day.

An MSc (Statistics), and armed with diplomas in Marketing, Advertising and Advanced Management, K. R. K. Moorthy retired from Glaxo (GSK) as General Manager (Marketing).

Also read

1. The Legend of Birsa Munda

2. About Alluri Sitaram Raju

3. Gopabandhu Das from Odisha

4. Vasudev Baldev Phadke – a torchbearer of the freedom movement

5. About Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das

6. About Khudiram Bose

7. About Rajguru

8. Triveni of the Independence Movement in Tamil Nadu

9. Veer Surendra Sai who served the maximum jail sentence

10. About Umaji Naik

11. Buxi Jagabandhu - Paika Rebellion of 1817

12. Freedom Struggle in Punjab

This article was first published in the Bhavan’s Journal, 1-15 August 2024 issue. This article is courtesy and copyright Bhavan’s Journal, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai-400007. eSamskriti has obtained permission from Bhavan’s Journal to share. Do subscribe to the Bhavan’s Journal – it is very good.