Page 68 - SocialHarmony

8

The Bravery of the Forest People

(Unveiling of Adivasi Shahid Smarak, Pal Chitraya,
Vijaynagar District, Sabarkantha. June 22, 2003)

The Jallianwala Bagh and Pal Chitariya massacres happened in
1919 at a time when Mahatma Gandhi was not yet in the
limelight. More than a thousand freedom fighters, who had
assembled for a peaceful discussion, were shot down mercilessly
by General Dyer. This was a major embarrassment for the British
and it greatly weakened their standing. However, an even
crueller massacre took place three years later in 1922 when 1200
forest-dwellers were killed. The British Raj attempted to conceal
news about this genocide and keep it away from the pages of
history. However, some people who have recently arrived in
this country and who believe that only their family should be
given the credit for the freedom of the nation and that only
they have made sacrifices, were not ready to accept this event
as true till recently.

During the freedom struggle, the terrible punishment of
kala pani (black waters) was inflicted at the island of Andaman
Nicobar. The brave freedom fighters, some of them even
barristers, were meted out harsh treatment at the Cellular Prison.
They were locked up in tiny cells that could not even hold a
single cot for twenty years. Even entering that prison today can
bring tears to a person’s eyes. However, our rulers chose to
ignore the pain suffered by our freedom fighters in Andaman
Nicobar. It was never declared as a national monument in
memory of the freedom fighters who had sacrificed their lives.