When Germany attacked Poland, which developed into Second World War, former Viceroy of India Lord Linlithgow declared war against Germany without consulting Indian leaders. What followed turned out to be a milestone in India’s struggle for independence. On August 8, 1942, the Quit India Movement was launched at the Bombay session of All-India Congress Committee (AICC) by Mahatma Gandhi demanding an end to British Rule of India. The AICC meeting held at Bombay to pass Quit India resolution was attended by five Odia leaders. They were Harkrushna Mahatab, Malati Chaudhury, Laxminarayan Mishra, Radhakrushna Biswasroy and Surendranath Dwivedy. Most of them were arrested at Bombay following Gandhi’s detention. When Surendranath Dwivedy met his private secretary at Birla Bhavan, he was handed over a small piece of paper containing a message by Mahatma Gandhi which read “Paralyse the administration. We are free from today, Be your own leader. Do or Die.” These words ignited the spirits of the people of Odisha to participate in the patriotic movement.
Cuttack
Cuttack was the nerve centre for the Quit India movement in Odisha. The first response was from the students of Ravenshaw College. On August 12, the students of Ravenshaw College, led by Bhagirathi Mishra, Upendra Mohanty, Narasingha Tripathy, Biren Mitra, Durga Charan Mohanty and Manmohan Mishra, organised public meetings to condemn the arrest of Congress leaders by the Government. On August 14, under leadership of Banamali Patnaik, Ashok Das, Biren Mitra, Bibudhendra Mishra and Suraj Mal Saha, about 200 students entered the college premises and burned records and laboratories. Bibudhendra and Saha were later arrested and were confined in Behrampur Central Jail. The students had coined a term S.N.S. (Secret News Service) and notices and bulletins were circulated under this banner. Socialists under Surendran Nath Dwidey took lead and about 71 incidents of large-scale burning, loot and sabotage in various parts of Cuttack was reported during August. The strike had its impact on students of other parts of the state. The principal expelled some students from the college. Boarders of the hostel protested against this action by mass-fasting. When the college reopened on November 20, 1942, the authorities collected Rs. 10/- from each boarder as security for good conduct.
Koraput
Koraput was a partially excluded area and it was not administered by laws and regulations of the province. It was chiefly noted for its tribal population who lived in the forest and hilly areas and its literacy rate was the lowest in the province. However, Laxman Naik, the ‘Gandhi of Malkangiri’ proved to be a hero of Quit India movement. By August 14, most of the Congress leaders of Koraput were in jail as the district Congress committee was declared illegal. Naik mobilised the tribals to offer stiff resistance to the British. On August 21, 1942, Laxman, along with 1000 people, gheraoed the Mathili police station in Malkangiri. However, they were intercepted by the police and magistrate Mujibar Rahman gave orders to lathi charge and open fire. As a result of the encounter, five persons were killed and seventeen were injured. Naik himself fell unconscious and lay by the side of the dead body of a forest guard who come to control agitators and was inadvertently shot by police.
Balasore
The police oppression was most severe in Balasore district. At the beginning of the movement, some prominent Congress leaders were arrested. On August 17, 1942, a mob of about 5,000 armed men invaded the police station in Bhandaripokhari village and injured a police official, smashed the furniture and tore records in the police station. However, the movement took a turn for the worse at the Bhadrak sub division. This place had become a strong centre of Congress activities in the district. On September 28, 1942, people gathered at an open place in Eram village and resolved not to pay tax. So, the police came to arrest some leaders. On the arrival of the police, people started blowing conches and about five thousand people armed with lathis gathered. As the ‘choukidars’ were carrying the luggage of police officials to the residence of a Zamindar, two satyagrahis Ratnakar Biswal and Mani Bej snatched them away by saying ‘You cannot carry the belongings of the British Government.’ Over this, DSP Kunja Bihari Mahanty was enraged and ordered open fire on the mob at Melan Ground. Official reports said that about 26 persons were killed and 54 persons were injured. Later the police unleashed a reign of terror over Eram and surrounding villages.
Puri
The Puri district was comparatively quiet during the movement. Sulakshana Mali Jema, wife of zamindar of Manijong, initiated the movement by proposing to occupy the police station of Nimapara. A meeting was held on September 16 to discuss the plan at Barabati Field. Agitators proceeded towards the police station and pelted stones at the police force. Ucchab Mallick, a dalit agitator, made efforts to break the police cordon following which the police fired upon the people leading to death of Ucchab and injury to 16 others. Hereafter, the police arrested 41 persons including Bhabani Patnaik, Gajendra Malik (son of Uchhab Mallick), Padma Charan Samantasinghar, Pitabas Sahu and many others who had organised the movement.
Ganjam
Ganjam too didn’t show any active participation in the movement. This was due to its aloofness from Cuttack and the district being an agency area under the Madras Presidency till 1936. However, the circle jail of Ganjam was in the heart of Berhampur town where prisoners from all parts of the province were kept. This was also the place where Koraput leader Laxman Naik became a martyr. Local agitators made a secret plant to blow away the bridge of river Rushikulya by setting dynamite. Niranjan Patnaik, a local leader was believed to be the mastermind behind the plan. However, the plan failed as police arrested the leaders. As per one estimate, about 101 workers were known to have been arrested in the district. Interestingly, this also included 17-year old Ramamohan Jena and his friend who were about to set the Guaderi police station on fire.
Jajpur
Maximum cases of revolutionary activities were reported in Jajpur subdivision of Cuttack district. The revolutionary mob at Jajpur set fire to police uniforms in twenty six places, six canal revenue offices, four post-offices, five excisable articles, six zamindari Kutcheries, and four PWD bungalows in August 1942. The violent mob started burning various Government offices and cut down the embankments, canals and telegraphs lines in different areas of Jajpur. In Binjharpur, a violent mob attacked police persons when the latter were escorting some prisoners. The mob was dispersed after police firing. In some villages, young men formed defence associations for fighting against police oppressions in their areas. A mob of 10,000 in the Jajpur town proceeded towards the police station and SDO’s August 27, 1942. The mob was dispersed by the armed force by dropping dynamites among the people.
Sambalpur
Laxminarayan Mishra attended the AICC meeting at Bombay in August 1942. On his return, he was arrested and Zilla Congress committees of Sambalpur, Bargarh and Jharsuguda were declared illegal. Anti-British demonstrations were held and hartals were observed. Important freedom fighters such as Nrusingha Guru, Dayanidhi Satapathy and Ramarakshya Sukla were arrested under Defence of India Act. Some women activists like Parbati Devi, Prabhabati Devi and Jambubati Devi organised processions in Bargarh town.
Dhenkanal
In the state of Dhenkanal, the Prajamandal movement assumed a violent character because of people’s reaction to the oppressive policies of the Durbar. State emergency was declared on August 11, 1942. Dhenkanal Prajamandal was declared illegal and public meetings and processions without written permission of the magistrate were banned. On August 26, under the directon of Prajamandal leader Baishnab Charan Patnaik, the armoury of the Madhi police station was looted. Raja of Nilgiri’s granary was also looted at Malapur. On September 4, 1942, the rebels proceeded towards the police station at Parjang where a skirmish took place between rebels and the state police force. Patnaik along with many other rebels were arrested but he later managed to escape and remained underground for four years.
Talcher
In Talcher, the Durbar followed a repressive policy toward the Prajamandal agitators. However, local leader Pabitra Mohan Pradhan and his associates organised an effective resistance movement. The agitators were arrested. However, when the King of Nilgiri on August 31 announced that Pradhan escaped from the prison, people became angry thinking that the King might have killed him. They isolated the Raja and cut off telegraph and telephone lines. On September 7, nearly 40,000 people from all parts of Talcher proceeded toward the palace of Raja, raising slogans ‘Do or Die’, ‘Drive the British government away from Talcher’ and ‘Strike the Raja.’ The situation became grave and aerial attacks were made on the crowd. Six people were killed in total.
Sambalpur
Laxminarayan Mishra attended the AICC meeting at Bombay in August 1942. On his return, he was arrested and Zilla Congress committees of Sambalpur, Bargarh and Jharsuguda were declared illegal. Anti-British demonstrations were held and hartals were observed. Important freedom fighters such as Nrusingha Guru, Dayanidhi Satapathy and Ramarakshya Sukla were arrested under Defence of India Act. Some women activists like Parbati Devi, Prabhabati Devi and Jambubati Devi organised processions in Bargarh town.
Dhenkanal
In the state of Dhenkanal, the Prajamandal movement assumed a violent character because of people’s reaction to the oppressive policies of the Durbar. State emergency was declared on August 11, 1942. Dhenkanal Prajamandal was declared illegal and public meetings and processions without written permission of the magistrate were banned. On August 26, under the directon of Prajamandal leader Baishnab Charan Patnaik, the armoury of the Madhi police station was looted. Raja of Nilgiri’s granary was also looted at Malapur. On September 4, 1942, the rebels proceeded towards the police station at Parjang where a skirmish took place between rebels and the state police force. Patnaik along with many other rebels were arrested but he later managed to escape and remained underground for four years.
Talcher
In Talcher, the Durbar followed a repressive policy toward the Prajamandal agitators. However, local leader Pabitra Mohan Pradhan and his associates organised an effective resistance movement. The agitators were arrested. However, when the King of Nilgiri on August 31 announced that Pradhan escaped from the prison, people became angry thinking that the King might have killed him. They isolated the Raja and cut off telegraph and telephone lines. On September 7, nearly 40,000 people from all parts of Talcher proceeded toward the palace of Raja, raising slogans ‘Do or Die’, ‘Drive the British government away from Talcher’ and ‘Strike the Raja.’ The situation became grave and aerial attacks were made on the crowd. Six people were killed in total.
Aviral Mishra,OP