Once upon a time,in a mesmerising land surrounded by forests and mountains lived a king named Shri Pravir Chandra Bhanjdeo,the Kakatiya ruler of Bastar.A king who was adored by his subjects.He lent a ear to their every woe and they in turn pledged their lives for him and called him God.The fairy tale ends here...because they all didnt live happily ever after.In fact they didnt live at all.
On a fateful day ..March 25 ,1966 he was killed in police firing in his own palace at Jagdalpur along with many of his people.Some people claim it was because he had planned a rebellion.Some say he incited his people to rebel and led the attack against the police.But, popular belief is that the Congress had him killed as part of their pre-mediated plans to oust him.He was their political rival,and an electoral threat.He was popular among the people and could bring about a mass uprising if he wanted to.Although he was a King he was democratic in his thoughts and approach.Would the Congress stand a chance against such a powerful person????
His death remains a mystery...Officially the death toll was twelve including the king.wounded were twenty.But the police had fired sixty one rounds.A common story says that truckloads of bodies were dumped into the Indravati at night.Why was he killed???was it the congress?was it the famine and the black marketing of rice?was it because he opposed iron leaving his state from Bailadila?? or was it because he spoke for the people???This mystery needs to be unravelled if we need to understand the past of Bastar which will pave way for its future............
1 comment:
Thanks for writing about Pravir Chandra Bhanj Deo. He was one of the first tribal mass leaders in independent India, who challenged the rule of the bourgeois and tried to unite the masses. While people like Arjun Singh and other rajas were co-opting with the rulers, Bhanj Deo was a shining example of defiance.
His sacrifice will not go in vain.
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