Going through the online dictionary, with the click of the mouse, to know the actual meaning of Freedom Fighter, to which I shortly call FF, is “Freedom Fighter is a person who takes part in a violent struggle to achieve a political goal”.
I still remember when I was quite young, I used to listen to the stories of independence of India from one of our relatives who was popularly known as Ram Nath “Rahi”, once also a jail inmate with Shaheed Bhagat Singh and had composed a couplet ‘”Keh do Angrez se ja kar, utha le voh bistar apna, Sahil-e-hind se utha le vo lashkar apna”. He too, was declared as Freedom Fighter in the list released by the government. But he or any of his family did not apply for benefit on account of being freedom fighter. Two of his sons retired as Income Tax Officer and Bank Manager while the daughter was married to a businessman.
A simple idea or imagination gives birth to more ideas and that small spark might burst a might flame! Making India free from the clutches of Britishers was the idea in the minds of the Freedom Fighters who sacrificed their life for the Independence of India, irrespective of any self-interest. For them, the independence of India was above all things.
In fact, a freedom fighter is a person engaged in a resistance movement against what they believe to be an oppressive and illegitimate government irrespective of any personal interest. The history of freedom fighters is full of stories of sacrifices for which every Indian should be proud of them especially when in the presentsystem, after more than six decades of independence, there is too much dishonesty, unemployment, corruption and misadministration and in such a situation, there is a need of change in the system.
Indian Freedom Fighters had fought against the British Empire and continued the Indian freedom struggle with their undying spirit and bravery. The various freedom fighters sacrificed their lives to achieve independence for the nation by facing several tortures, hardships and exploitations to earn national freedom. Independent India was the dream of each and every Indian who lived under the British rule in India. Every individual, during the British rule, fought in some or other way having a common aim of abolishing the British and various other colonial authorities ruling over different parts of India. A century of struggle, revolution, blood shedding sacrifices and battles followed and finally India became independent on the 15th of August, 1947.
This change will come through a revolution like that for the independence of India and for the purpose, someone has to come forward.
To name few of them are Mahatama Gandhi, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Rani Luxmi Bai, Chander Shekhar Azad, Subhash Cahnder Bose, Sher-e-Punjab Lal Lajpar Rai, Madan Lal Dhingra and Pir Ali Khan, many more as unending list.
But now, when I have grown up and entered in my grey period of 60s, I realise that the sacrifice of freedom fighters, who fought with the British and hanged, there is mention of them in history books. The unsung freedom fighters got no recognition though they sacrificed their lives for the independence of their motherland. They need to be recognised.
It is really said that there are many people, who took active part in the freedom struggle and even sacrificed their lives, are either forgotten or have not been recognised because of non-availability of sufficient proof of their being a freedom fighter. According to one of the sources, the claims of 1,08,777 freedom fighters stands rejected on this account. In fact, for getting the benefits from the government as a Freedom Fighter, one must have been awarded the jail punishment for at least six months and in the event of death, lathi charge, acquiring of property or has to be sold, became handicap, or has been out of service because of participation in independence movement or announced for the ten lashes by the Brithshers and must have completed 15 years of age, the pension is to be given the family members. The approximate pension is of Rs.15,000 with addition of DA after every six months. The other benefits extended are free railway travel besides the reliefs by the local state governments. The Centre’s budget kept on this accounts by the Home Ministry, for extending reliefs to FF, is Rs.800 crore per annum.
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide range of areas like political organisations, philosophies and movements which had the common aim to ending the company rule (East India Company), and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia. The independence movement saw various national and regional campaigns, agitations and efforts, some nonviolent and others not so. The Indian rebellion of 1857 was a large-scale rebellion in northern and central India against the British East India Company's rule. It was suppressed and the British government took control of the company.
Apart from a few stray incidents, the armed rebellion against the British rulers was not organised before the beginning of the 20th century. The Indian revolutionary underground began gathering momentum through the first decade of 20th century, with groups arising in Bengal, Maharastra, Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and the then Madras Presidency including what is now called South India.
On July 7, 1857 as many as 30 rebels, including Peer Ali Khan, had been summarily tried in presence of then Patna commissioner William Tayler and 14 of them were handed out capital punishment. Now quite a few people know who Peer Ali Khan was. This martyr is now little known thanks to the state government's decision to develop a children's park opposite the residence of the Patna DM and name it after Khan who had been hanged at the same place in 1857.
Apart from Khan, others who were hanged to death were Ghasita Khalifa, Ghulam Abbas, Nandu Lal alias Sipahi, Jumman, Maduwa, Kajil Khan, Ramzani, Peer Bakhsh, Peer Ali, Wahid Ali, Ghulam Ali, Mahmood Akbar and Asrar Ali Khan. Hardly anybody ever heard these names.
But several other freedom fighters, who had been hanged or sent for rigorous imprisonment to Kala Pani', Andamans, still remain unknown. For, history books do not include their names and the historians never made an attempt to dig out their sacrifices.
Despite of passing of long time after the independence, the list of FF claimants is increasing. According to Home Ministry, in 2009, the figure was 1,70,634 but in 2012, it was 1,71,411 and as on 28 Feb 2013, the figure was further increased to 1,71,516. In one year, 105 new freedom fighters were added while between 2009 and 2013, 992 new beneficiaries were added. But most of the new additions are of freedom fighters themselves and in certain cases, where freedom fighters have died; their legal heirs have put their claims.