Malegaon Martyrs: Insulted whenever recalled

Sunday, August 16, 2009 05:17:15 PM, Aleem Faizee ummid.com

Every year the country celebrates the Independence Day on August 15, gloom and despair descend in Malegaon. Along with their counterparts in other parts of the country though they do tend to celebrate the historic moment, they do it with a heavy heart. The reason for the gloominess amid the joyous moment finds its roots in the uprising against the imperialist British forces that had broken in Malegaon in April 1921. Scores of Malegaon natives were arrested and seven of them were hanged to pay the price of the “rebellion” against the British. But when the time demands to honour these martyrs, the Malegaonians become helpless. A pal of gloom hence descends every year on August 15 when they find them incapable to honour their martyrs the same way as other martyrs in the country are being honoured. Worse, while their participation in Non-Cooperation and Khilafat movement called by none other than Mahatma Gandhi and Ali Brothers is termed as riot, the martyrs too are always insulted and referred to as rioters and criminals.

In fact the communal forces in Malegaon are not alone in claiming Khilafat Movement was not part of the freedom struggle. Their opinion rests on the well-planned strategy hatched immediately after August 15, 1947 to downgrade the Muslim freedom fighters who laid their lives and sacrificed everything for the country. Notwithstanding the claims by the communal forces Maulana Abul Kalam Azad has put the records straight. “It was in this conference that Gandhiji preached for the first time the non-cooperation program from a public platform”, Maulana Azad has observed in his book ‘India Wins Freedom’ referring to the Khilafat Conference. The movement ultimately received Congress endorsement in its September 1920 Calcutta Session and how effective it proved for the Independence of the country does not require any further elaboration.

Tryst with Freedom

The majority of Muslims who are in Malegaon even today are the direct descendents of those who had participated in the first war of Independence fought in 1857. Hence to say nationalism is in their blood is fully justified. The Malegaonians during the British rule were more close to their ancestors. Against this backdrop how could have they taken rest inside their homes when the whole country barring few was burning with the strong desire for the independence. Well aware of the prevailing situations in the country, the Malegaonians were already doing their bit for the country’s freedom. Gandhiji’s visit to the town only intensified their urge for the freedom and they began participating in Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movements with renowned vigor.

Government servants abandoned the plush postings and resigned. The government establishments were boycotted. The Malegaonians were so aggressive that they even boycotted the official court and installed their own in the town. The financial condition of the town was not so strong still when the appeal came for the collection of relief for the people of Samarna of Turkey, the Malegaonians immediately agreed to donate “a fadiya” per saree for this cause. The mood in the town portrayed as if a parallel government was in place. The efficiency with which everything was being done encouraged others to join the freedom movement. The first case, pending since many years, was solved within a week. “This encouraged others to withdraw their cases from the government court and seek justice here”, 75 year old Ramzan Painter, who has collected years of town records, observes.

However, all these activities were not going well with the people loyal to the British Government. They kept their British bosses updated of the day to day activities in Malegaon who waited for a suitable time for “action”.

At last on April 25, 1921 the local British Administration decided to take action against the revolutionaries. It provoked the Malegaonians. The confrontation intensified. Local police led by Police Inspector and Thanedar of the only Thane in Malegaon Bhaskatrao failed to control the situation. Bhaskatrao, who because of his cruel attitude towards the town was already under fire, ran and took shelter inside the Pophale Mandir. People gheraoed the Mandir. Bhaskatrao fired from inside and killed two persons. This angered the mob even further. Annoyed, Hindus and Muslims together, decided to set the Mandir on fire. Bhaskatrao escaped from the Mandir in the guise of woman but was caught because of his shoes and got killed by the frenzied mob along with a Muslim police constable.

“The revolutionaries took over the control of the city. British flag was downed from the Malegaon fort. An Indian Government headed by Shah Suleman Miya was established in the town”, says Haleem Siddiquee, a journalist.

Since there was no telephone line in place, a postman rushed to Manmad walking and informed the higher British authorities. On April 28^th military enforcement came in the town and then began indiscriminate use of force against the Malegaonians. Scores of people were taken into custody and were immediately sent to Yeroda jail in Pune where cases were filed against them. In 1922, Suleman Shah, who had headed the Indian Government in Malegaon, Israel Allah Rakhu, Munshi Shaban, Budhu Fareedan and Gafoor Chandi were hanged in Yeroda Jail. Nine persons were sentenced to life imprisonment, two each for seven and five year’s jail-term and ninety-two for three years. Abdullah Khalifa and Husain Maddu died in Yeroda Jail during “the interrogation”.

The town too was not spared unpunished. A whopping 1.2 million rupees were enforced as penalty over whole of Malegaon. It was forcibly collected during 1922 to1924 from the poor Malegaonians. Recalling the incident local historian Dr. Ilyas Siddiquee observes, “The country has not witnessed such an example of collective-penalty in its whole freedom-struggle.”

And when the country at last became Independent on August 15, 1947 like the Red Fort in New Delhi, the historic fifteenth century fort in Malegaon was also abuzz with unprecedented activities. The streets which were normally deserted by the sunset were crowded by the joyous people heading towards the fort. Many of them Hindus and Muslims together assembled at Tilak Road and came in a procession led by the heir of Raja Naroshankar. Waiting most of them sat inside the fort while some others were walking here and there with the glittering faces. And with their ears on All India Radio they were anxiously waiting for the Prime Minister Pandit Nehru to hoist the National flag over the Red Fort.

Forgotten Heroes

The contribution of the town for the country’s freedom however has never gone well with a section in the country. Whenever the 1921 Malegaon uprising is recalled, it is recalled as “rioting” and the martyrs were always referred to as rioters. Some people even term it as communal riot and create hue and cry whenever due respect is sought for these martyrs albeit the fact that there are clear indications of the involvement of both Hindus and Muslims in the 1921 Malegaon uprising.

Stating that the incident is yet another example to demonstrate how Hindus and Muslims together fought for the freedom of the country Dr. Iftekhar a local physician and columnist says, “I have always wondered how, the Muslims and the Hindus together, decided to set a Mandir on fire. It shows freedom was above everything for them, even their religions. I believe if it was a Mosque, a Gurdwara or any other place, it must have met with the same fate.”

Agreeing with Dr. Iftekhar, Ramzan Painter adds, “A confirmed account of the exact situation during 1921, clearly suggests that it was Hindus and Muslims both who took part in the struggle. Balu Shah, owner of the first newspaper in Malegaon and a prominent figure in the town was actively involved in the whole movement. The contributions of Advocate Tatya Khare and Gadgil Wakeel, who remained at the forefront in establishing a separate court in Malegaon are also unquestionable.”

After the independence in 1947, the State as well as the Central Government, mentioned the historic event of April 1921 as part of the freedom struggle and included the names of the seven martyrs in their gazettes with due respects. However the communal forces in Malegaon refuse to fall in line and are not allowing putting the names of the martyrs on the monument built by the local civic body to commemorate their contributions. Interestingly the civic body has passed resolutions in its general meeting more than one occasion for putting the names of these martyrs on the Memorial. Yet the monument is still waiting for the martyr’s names.

Ironically, a separate Memorial was built in Malegaon after the Parliament passed a resolution for the construction of Memorials of similar shape everywhere in the country and to put the names of the martyrs on them. However in Malegaon, unlike other places in the country, the names of the martyrs have not been put on the Memorial till now.

As if all this is not enough to dishonor these martyrs, every year on Kranti Diwas when local officials gather near these Memorials to offer their tributes, in Malegaon, no one cares to honor these martyrs.

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