AMRIT FESTIVAL OF INDEPENDENCE "A Tribute to Heroes of Indian Freedom Struggle"

   India's Forgotten ...? Freedom Fighter

                        Alluri Sitarama Raju ……..?

                                Rampa rebellion …..?

Alluri Seetarama Raju is the brave son of mother India who laid down his life to break the shackles of the motherland. He was born on 4th July 1897. While pursuing his studies at Kakinada, Sri Alluri Seetarama Raju came in contact with a notable freedom fighter, Sri Madduri Annapurnayya, and Rallapalli Atchuta Ramayya, a scholar of high repute. For his further studies, he went to Visakhapatnam at the age of 15. Though he didn’t have much interest in studies, he was very keen to know more about the political condition of India at that time. The awe-inspiring heroics of Rama Raju still inspire Telugus. Though his battle with the British lasted only for two years, he made an indelible mark in the history of the Indian Freedom Struggle and found a permanent place in the hearts of the countrymen.

Unfortunately, there is not much research done on Rama Raju’s life and movement.  As the nation gears up to celebrate the 75th Independence Day, it is time to revisit his life and movement and pay rich tributes to him. His remains are buried at Krishnadevi Peta in Visakhapatnam. The nation could do better by building a memorial in memory of this great patriot. 

After the death of his father, his schooling got disrupted and he went on a pilgrimage and toured the Western, North-Western, North, and North-eastern India during his teens. The social-economic conditions in the country under the British regime, particularly in the tribal areas, deeply moved him. During these journeys, he met revolutionaries in Chittagong (now in Bangladesh).

Rama Raju made up his mind to build a movement against the British. He made Adivasi areas in the Eastern Ghats (the forest area along the Visakhapatnam and Godavari district) his home and decided to work for the Adivasis. He was so confident of the path he chose that he told a reporter (incidentally the only interview he ever gave to a reporter) that he could overthrow the British in two years.

In 1857 during the first war of independence, thousands of tribes of Gond land laid their life for their country. After the passing of the 1882 Madras Forest Act in an attempt to exploit the economic value of wooded areas, its restrictions on the free movement of tribal peoples in the forests prevented them from engaging in their traditional podu agricultural system, a subsistence economy that involved shifting cultivation. Sri Alluri Seetarama Raju went deep into the forests of Gond land to meet the tribals and inspire them to fight for India’s independence.

In the tribal areas, the poor and illiterate tribal people were exploited and oppressed blatantly by the Britishers. Since the tribals were not united against the Britishers they took advantage of it and deprived the tribals of their rights. Sri Alluri Seetarama Raju inspired and united the different tribes of the area, trained them in skills of guerrilla warfare, and proved to be a terror for the Britishers. Soon he was ready to attack the enemy with his army. On 22nd August 1922, his tribal army initiated their struggle by raiding three police stations Chintapalli Police Station, Krishnadevipeta Police Station, and Rajavommangi on three consecutive days. After the raids, they captured a huge number of guns, bayonets and cartridges, and swords. They even freed Veerayya Dora from jail who was a revolutionary. The British Army was alerted by his actions and platoons of Police and the Army were ordered to arrest Sri Alluri Seetarama Raju. He again attacked the British Army at Peddavalasa and defeated them as a result of which they had to bear heavy casualties and finally retreated. From that day onwards there was regular warfare between Raju and the Britishers and Raju came out triumphant in all. Nearly for two years(1922 to 1924) he terrorized the British Army and was the ruler of the vast area. Later Britishers were keen to kill him and deployed battalions of Assam Rifles and others. The Agency Commissioner J R Higgins had announced a prize of Rs 10,000 for Rama Raju's head and Rs 1,000 each on his lieutenants Gantam Dora and Mallu Dora. It deployed hundreds of soldiers from Malabar Special Police and the Assam Rifles, led by top British officers, to crush the movement. Officers like Sanders and Forbes were on the back foot several times as Raju dared them to stop him and his followers from carrying out certain attacks.

 Unable to contain the ‘Manyam’ uprising, the British Government deputed T G Rutherford in April 1924 to quell the movement. Rutherford resorted to violence and torture to get to know the whereabouts of Raju and his key followers. That the Government had to spend over Rs 40 lakhs in those days to defeat the rebellion speaks volumes about the success of the Rampa rebellion. 

After a relentless chase by British forces, Rama Raju was caught and martyred on May 7, 1924. This was followed by untold repression and violence that witnessed killings of scores of Raju's followers in we followed his martyrdom. Over 400 activists were booked under several charges, including treason 

Sri Rama Raju won the grudging admiration of the British as a formidable guerrilla tactician.