Alluri Sitarama Raju: Remembering The Freedom Fighter Who Started The Rampa Rebellion Against Britishers

In honour of Alluri Sitaram Raju's 125th birth anniversary and 100th year of the Rampa rebellion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 30-foot-tall bronze statue of the freedom fighter on Monday, July 4.

The 15-tonne statue costing over three crores, was placed in the Municipal Park at ASR Nagar in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh, as a part of celebrations of India's 75 years of independence.

In his speech, Modi spoke in Telugu after the statue was unveiled and said that the Alluri is an inspiration to the entire nation. He added that sacrifices made by Alluri from his birth to death immortalised him in the history of India's independence.

Sharing highlights from yesterday's memorable programme in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh in which we paid homage to the brave Alluri Sitarama Raju. pic.twitter.com/LADvNTL5p3

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 5, 2022

Popularly Known As Hero Of Forest

Alluri Sitaram Raju was born on July 4 1857, in Mogallu village of Palakoderu Mandal in West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. He started the Rampa rebellion and was popularly known as "Manyam Veerudu" or Hero of the Forest.

The freedom fighter was only eight years old when his father passed away. Following his father's death, his education got disrupted, and he began touring western, northwestern, northern and northeastern India during his teens. During his pilgrimages, he saw the socio-economic plight in various parts of the country, particularly the tribal areas and was deeply moved by it.

While these voyages, Alluri met revolutionaries in Chittagong and decided to gradually build a movement against the British by organising the local Adivasis along the Godavari coast. Hence, the Rampa Rebellion or Manya uprising was born, which rattled the British forces. He spearheaded many attacks against the Britishers using traditional weapons like bows and arrows. However, these weapons were obsolete when compared to heavily armed British forces.

The famed attack on Chintapalli police station on August 22, 1922, showcased the sheer bravery of the freedom fighter, which left the British stunned. He led similar attacks later on Krishnadevi Peta and Raja Ommangi police stations, where the revolutionaries under Alluri's leadership snatched weapons and armoury of Britishers.

Alluri Sitaram Raju is said to have become a sanyasi at 18 and gained a mystical aura among his tribal and hill community with his austerity, knowledge of medicine, as well as his ability to tame animals.

Launched Guerrilla Warfare Against Britishers

He launched efficient guerilla warfare channelling the anger of the hill people of Visakhapatnam, Ganjam and Godavari to uproot the British. He also safeguarded the traditional village farming called PODU (Shifting) farming, which was threatened by the British under land encroachment.

Under the forest act of 1882, the tribals were prohibited from cultivating minor forest produce essential for their livelihood and were forced to work for the colonial authority.

Alluri was apprehended and executed in the Rampa or Manya rebellion in 1924, in which anti-government resistance led to Guerilla warfare. He fought for the rights of the tribal communities and was martyred on May 7, 1924, at the young age of 27.

In 1986, the Indian Postal Department, the Government of India, released a postal stamp commemorating Alluri's contribution to the Indian freedom struggle.

According to a report by Times Now, he is celebrated and worshipped as a folk hero among the tribals of Andhra Pradesh and is admired by left parties of the state, which had earlier demanded a district to be named after the freedom fighter.

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