Eram massacre

Last updated

Eram Massacre
Eram Saheed Smrutistambha.jpg
Eram’s Martyr Memorial
India Odisha location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Bhadrak in India
Location Basudevpur, Bhadrak, Odisha, India
Coordinates 21°03′31″N86°40′38″E / 21.0586°N 86.6773°E / 21.0586; 86.6773
Date28 September 1942
17:37 (6:30 p.m.)
TargetGathering against the British rulers
Attack type
massacre
Deaths29 [1]
Injured~ 60
Perpetrators British Indian Army unit under the DSP Kunjabihari.
No. of participants
5000

Eram is a small village in Basudevpur, Bhadrak from Odisha. It plays an important role in the history of Indian Independence movement. [2] It is also known as Rakta Tirtha Eram (The Pilgrim of Blood) and the second Jallianwala Bagh of India.

Contents

Geography

Eram is located in Bhadrak district of Odisha and is 8 km away from Basudebpur village of Bhadrak district.

Role in Indian Independence Movement

The village Eram was remote, inaccessible and far from cities, surrounded by the Bay of Bengal and two rivers Gamoi and Kansbans and thick jungles the place was sleepy and silent to reach. From 1920, Eram was a secret place for Utkal Congress meetings, Gopabandhu Das, Harekrushna Mahatab and other Congress leaders used Eram as a place for public meetings to share the messages about Quit India Movement or Non-cooperation Movement of Mahatma Gandhi and to propagate the Gandhian ideals of freedom struggle among the villagers. [3]

1942 Mass attack incident

On 28 September 1942 there was a huge gathering at that place to protest against British Raj and to prepare a course plan of action to fight against British. Under the leadership of Kamala Prasad Kar a crowd of 5000 people gathered at Eram Melana ground. Afraid of this gathering a police force from Basudebpur police station, led by DSP Kunjabihari Mohanty march towards Eram. As like Jaliyanawala Bagh here, DSP Kunjabihari Mohanty acted as General Dyer and opened fire on the huge gathering at 6:30 PM, within few minutes 304 shots were discharged against the crowd, [4] who were performing the agitation against the British rulers in a peaceful way. Since the field was bounded on three sides, [5] therefore, no one was able to get escape from the field. Within some minutes 29 persons were dead on the spot and 56 were injured. Among the dead of Eram massacre includes one woman named Pari Bewa , who is regarded as the only lady martyr of Odisha. For this incident, Eram is popularly known as Rakta Tirtha Eram (The Pilgrim of Blood).

Martyrs list

In the memory of Martyrs, A martyrs’ memorial was built in Eram. It is one of the tourism places in Odisha. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odia language</span> Indic language

Odia is an Indo-Aryan classical language spoken in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the official language in Odisha, where native speakers make up 82% of the population, and it is also spoken in parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Odia is one of the many official languages of India; it is the official language of Odisha and the second official language of Jharkhand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baripada</span> City in Odisha, India

Baripada is a city and a municipality in Mayurbhanj district in the state of Odisha, India. Located along the east bank of the Budhabalanga river, Baripada is the cultural centre of north Odisha. In recent years, it has emerged as an educational hub with the opening of numerous professional colleges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayurbhanj district</span> District in Odisha, India

Mayurbhanj district is one of the 30 districts in the Odisha state of eastern India. It holds the distinction of being the largest district in Odisha by area. The district's headquarters is located in Baripada, with other major towns including Rairangpur, Karanjia, and Bahalda. As of 2011, Mayurbhanj ranks as the third-most populous district in Odisha, following Ganjam and Cuttack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuttack</span> City in Odisha, India

Cuttack, is the former capital and the second largest city in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of the Odia and Sanskrit name Kataka which literally means The Fort, a reference to the ancient Barabati Fort around which the city initially developed. Cuttack is known as the Millennium City as well as the Silver City due to its history of 1000 years and famous silver filigree works. The Orissa High Court is located there. It is the commercial capital of Odisha which hosts many trading and business houses in and around the city. Cuttack is famous for its Durga Puja which is one of the most important festivals of Odisha. The city is categorised as a Tier-II city as per the ranking system used by Government of India.

Uttam Mohanty is an Indian film and television actor who has to his credit more than 135 Odia films to date and has acted in 30 Bengali films and in a Hindi film Naya Zaher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhadrak district</span> District of Odisha in India

Bhadrak is a district of Odisha state in eastern India. Bhadrak city is the headquarters and the largest city of the district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhadrak</span> City in Odisha, India

Bhadrak is a city of Odisha state in eastern India. The city is the district headquarters of Bhadrak district. According to legend, the city derives its name from the Goddess Bhadrakali, whose temple is on the banks of the Salandi River.

The Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ), formerly spelled Oriya, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group native to the Indian state of Odisha who speak the Odia language. They constitute a majority in the eastern coastal state, with significant minority populations existing in the neighboring states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Basudevpur is a town and a Municipality in Bhadrak District in the state of Odisha, India. It is the second most populated(500k) town in Bhadrak District. This town has major role in the path of prosperity of Bhadrak District. This includes Rakta Tirtha Eram in Basudevpur, where about 30 people along with a woman named Pari Bewa were killed by the British police, DSP Kunjabihari Mohanty while fighting for independence. CHC Basudevpur State No 1 Medical By kayakalpa Award.

Odia literature is literature written in the Odia language, mostly from the Indian state of Odisha. The modern Odia language is mostly formed from Tadbhava words with significant Sanskrit (Tatsama) influences, along with loanwords from Desaja, English, Hindustani (Hindi/Urdu), Persian, and Arabic. Its earliest written texts date from around 1000 CE. The earliest Odia newspaper was Utkala Deepika, first published on August 4, 1866.

Odisha is one of the 28 states of India, located on the eastern coast. It is surrounded by the states of West Bengal to the northeast, Jharkhand to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west and northwest, and Andhra Pradesh to the south and southwest. Odia is the official and most widely spoken language, spoken by 33.2 million according to the 2001 Census. The modern state of Odisha was established on 1 April 1936, as a province in British India, and consisted predominantly of Odia-speaking regions. April 1 is celebrated as Odisha Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odissi music</span> Genre of Indian classical music

Odissi music is a genre of classical music in India, originated from the eastern state of Odisha. The traditional ritual music for the service of Lord Jagannatha, Odissi music has a history spanning over two thousand years, authentic sangita-shastras or treatises, unique Ragas & Talas and a distinctive style of rendition.

Pari Bewa, was a female freedom fighter from Odisha, India. Born in Eram, Bewa had a very important role in the quit India movement. She is regarded as the only female martyr of Odisha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odisha Living Legend Award</span>

Odisha Living Legend Award is a civilian award conferred on people of Odisha who have done outstanding and inspiring work. It was first conferred in 2011 by Odisha Diary Foundation. These awards are given in different categories like Social Service, Public Policy, Education, Youth Inspiration, Sustainable Business, Promotion of Science and Art among others.

The Amko Simko massacre or Amco Simco firing took place on 25 April 1939, when Lt. E. W. Marger ordered troops of the British Indian Army to open fire on a crowd of tribal peasants resisting the arrest of their leader Nirmal Munda in Simko village, Gangpur estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gopal Chandra Panda</span> Odissi Singer and Guru

PanditGopal Chandra Panda is a Guru of Odissi classical music, vocalist, researcher and composer. A disciple of Singhari Shyamsundar Kar, he has authored several books such as Odissi Raga Ratnabali & Odissi Raga Darpana, and is acclaimed for his efforts to collect & document several traditional Odissi ragas from the hinterlands. Panda served as a lecturer and head of department in the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya for nearly three decades. He has performed in music festivals across the country and is the founder of the Gopal Panda Odissi Academy. In 2011, Panda received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contributions to Odissi music.

Gajapati Rāmachandra Deva I was the founder of the Bhoi dynasty of Khurda in Odisha, India. He became the ruler of Khurda kingdom after defeating Mukunda Deva in 1568. He claimed descent from the Yaduvanshi dynasty which features prominenetly in the Indian epic, Mahabharata. The Odia populace gave him the title of "Thakura Raja" as a mark of respect for renovating the damaged Hindu temples that were destroyed by the invasion of Kalapahad. He was titled as Vira Sri Gajapati Viradhi Viravara Pratapi Ramachandra Deva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nirmal Munda</span> Indian politician and veteran

Nirmal Munda was an agrarian leader, a freedom fighter and a World War I veteran from the Munda tribe from Bartoli village in the former princely state of Gangpur. He was the leader of the Munda agitation of 1937–39, who organised the tribals of Gangpur to refuse to pay exorbitant taxes and demanded khuntkatti rights.

References

  1. "Odisha: Dhamra Port dedicates book to Eram martyrs, Orissa District News". Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  2. Subas Pani; Harish Chandra Das; Indu Bhusan Kar (1988). Glimpses of history and culture of Balasore. Orissa State Museum. pp. 83, 84. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  3. "Rakta Teertha Eram: The 2nd Jallianwala Bagh - Orissa POST". www.orissapost.com. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  4. "Odisha Government Portal" (PDF). odisha.gov.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  5. "Odisha Government Portal" (PDF). odisha.gov.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  6. "Sangram Bhumi Bhadrak | Odisha State Archive". odishaarchives.nic.in. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  7. "Bhadrakh District - Famous Temples, Tourist, Picnic Places". www.nuaodisha.com. Retrieved 2 August 2018.