ALLURI SITARAMA RAJU FAMILY BACKGROUND
Alluri
Sree Rama Raju, also referred to as Alluri Sitarama Raju or Raju was
born on 4th July 1897 in a Kshatriya family at his maternal
grandfather's village Pandrangi near Padmanabham in Visakhapatnam
district of Andhra Pradesh. Padmanabham is a famous historical place
where the battle of padmanabham took placein early hours on 10th July
1794, between East India Company forces commanded by Col. Frenderghast
ad the armies of Posapati Vijayavarma Gajapathy, the Rajah of
Vijayanagaram. The Rajah was defeated and killed in the battle field,
the first battle fought in Andhra Pradesh by prince for freedom.
Sitarama Raju's parents were Alluri Venkatarama Raju and Suryanarayamma.
They were from Mogallu village near Bhimavaram in the present West
Godavari District. Raju had a sister Sitamma and a brother Satyanarayana
Raju.Raju's father Venkatarama Raju was a photographer. His family moved to Rajahmundry in East Godavari district formerly known as Godavari district. Venkatarama Raju began to make living as a traveling Photographer. Sitarama Raju received his early education in Rajahmundry in a Bangaria School up to fourth standard. Venkatarama Raju died in the year 1908 at Rajahmundry. Sitarama Raju was then hardly eleven years old. Later he joined the Mission High School at Bhimavaram. His uncle was transferred to Ramachandrapuram as a Magistrate, Raju was admitted in the National School there in 1911. As Ramakrishna Raju was in kakinada in 1912, Raju joined the P.R.College at Kakinada and studied third form.
Raju participated the celebrations of the coronation of George V, on 5 December 1912 and won a medal for acting drama as Sesirekha, a female character. Raju learned physical exercises, Yoga, and gymnastics from Koutha Ramayya at Kakinada.
Raju's family was staying in Payakaraopeta in Kakinada. His (Upanayanam) thread ceremony was performed when he was 14 years at Annavaram Temple. As it was difficult to get on, his mother, sister and brother moved to Pandrangi. Raju was admitted to a Mission School first and later Mrs. A.V.N College for the fouth form in 1912. His mother moved to Visakhapatnam from Pandrangi as Raju was involved in unnecessary expenditure and whiling away his time. He continued his education there in fourth form. His mother could not afford to support him in his studies.Then his uncle Alluri Ramakrishna Raju who was a Tahsildar at Narsapuram in West Godavari District offered to support Raju for education. Raju joined the Taylor High School at Narsapuram for the fourth form on 2 july 1913. Raju was chided by his uncle Ramakrishna Raju for leaving the house without informing his mother and not concentrating on his studies. Raju discontinued his studies and left school once for all and reached Tuni with his brother and mother. He spent away most of the time without studies and without doing any work at Tuni, He made friendship with Pericherla Suryanarayana Raju and others. Raju held extraordinary views and used to take his friends to the nearby burial grounds, promising them to show ghosts and miracles there. The Agency frequently and planning his tour to the Agency and Nepal, from these days.
Raju entered the Agency in the year 1917 and started living as a hermit on the top of Sambari Konda for about three months. He moved on to papi Hills. Later with the help of local people like Chitikela Bhaskarudu and others started a small centre called Sreeramavijayanagaram. Raju was performing Pujas and offering astrological suggestions and herbal medical treatment to the Agency people free of charge. The Agency people visited him in large numbers and supplied Raju with milk and fruits. Raju lived there with his mother and brother. Raju delivered discourses on Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas. He also started a small school for tribal children and began teaching Pedda Bala Siksha, Telugu and Sanskrit.
The Agency people used to submit their grievances, problems and difficulties to Raju. After hearing their problems Raju used to offer solutions to some problems and suggestions to overcome certain difficulties. Raju was touring the Agency villages to know the real problems of the people. During this period Raju made pilgrimage to Nasik on foot. After this he toured all over the Gudem hills visiting Antada, Rampal, Peddavalasa and a large number of other villages. During his tour he preached temperance, held panchayats and urged the people not to go to courts and waste their money but to settle their disputes in the Panchayats. It was during these tours Raju was gradually gaining extraordinary influence over the hill people who credited him with all kinds of supernatural powers.
In January 1922, there was arumour throughout the Agency that Alluri Sitarama Raju was planning a revolt and untended to descend on Krishnadevipeta with his followers to loot the village. The Sub-Inspector of Police of Krishnadevipeta informed the Deputy Superintendent of police on 30 January 1922 through a telegram that there was a wide spread rumor in the Agency that a "fiuri" would be started on 2nd or 3rd of February. Swires, the Deputy Superintendent of Police of the Agency District, visited Krishnadevipeta and held enquirers. He interrogated Raju on 30 January 1922 who denied any intention of raising a fituri. The statement Raju recorded by the Deputy Superintendent of Police on the occasion is very interesting which reads as follows :
"I am a native Mogallu of Krishna District (present West Godavari District ).I came here four years ago ,but i was not here for two years of that period. I came here on the last occasion one year and four months ago. I have relations in Kothanandur of Tuni Limits. I have relations in Tuni, Nandur Boguraju was my relative in Nandur he was not closely related he has four sons, I think i used to go now and then but do not know them well. They are not close relations . The tuni people also are not so close to me My age is 25, I became a brahmachari iam not a sanyasi i left mogallu in my fourth year. I studied earlier in Rajahmundry in a Bangaria School up to the fourth standard and late in Ramachandrapur National School. My father died when I was reading in the fourth standard. He was a farmer and owned land. When I first came about Gudem Hills (Sambari Hill). I was living on the top. I was there for about 3 months, and then I came to Narsipatnam and other places for a few days and then went for a year to the Papi Hills on the left bank of Godavary. There was no village. I lived on what I could get in the forest. I did not go to villages and beg no do I do so now. People are coming to me in hundreds and hundreds now a days and bringing me milk and food. They come from several villages including Krishnadevipeta. I went from here about seven months ago to Nasik and travelled for about four months and returned in about three months twenty days ago.A week or ten days ago I went to Gudem to see the temples.I had not seen them before. On my way back I stopped at Rampol. I saw the Muttadar of Antada. He was suffering from headache. I woke him up and spoke to him before I left. I also went to Peddavalasa. When i went to Nasik I went through Jirala(jarli), Malkangiri walking the whole way to Nasik. To some extent I told people not to drink liquor and also if possible wear swadeshi clothes. I suggested that they should be socially boycotted if they wore videshi cloths. I held panchayats and instructed them to do so as they said that Addatigala was too far away for them.Here I had about four or five sittings with people and at Kongasingi and at Nagapuram. I had about twelve or sixteen sittings altogether. We tried to hold court in Koyyur, Rajapet, and Tharmaouram. The people thre invited me but it was too far to go. My mother and younger brother were with me then. I left them here when I went to Nasik. Ryots bring them their food. When I went to Nasik very few people went and gave them anything and they suffered, I think.
The V.M. off this place, Chintapalli Naidu and others came to see me two or three days ago. They said they had heard the rumor that I was going to start fituri and I told them it was all bosh. The muttadar of Kangaram is not related to me. He is also a Raju. He came and saw me later a few days back. He wanted to learn a "mantram" . He did not talk about fituri or anything. The people here on the hills say that I left behind the man eater tiger in the jungle. I did not do so. The hill people believe me to be a very holy man but they do not believe in magic. They believe that if I give them a charm the tiger will not turn there. I know Telugu and a little bit of Sanskrit and Urdu. I cannot say why the people say I am going to start fituri and everybody comes and asks me about it but most of them do not accept my denial. I cannot say whether Non-Cooperation Movement is good or bad. I attended two meetings before of Non-Cooperation Movement. I only asked the people here not to drink. I have not taught them non-cooperation".
Suspecting the movements of Raju, he was kept under surveillance. Finding his movements hampered by the surveillance he complained of police injustice to Fazlul-lah-Saheb, Divisional Magistrate. One such incident has also been reported to the Assistant Commissioner of Rampa, on 4 February,1922 by Raju. The petition of (Arzi) of Alluri Srirama Raju addressed to the Assistant Commissioner, Rampa is as follows.
"I built a small house in the forest near Krishnadevipeta and have been living in it with my mother and younger brother for the last two or three months and have been doing my penance(japamu)in it. While I have been living there, I have been recently called on to come to Narasipatnam for the reason that I have been planning to raise a rebellion (fituri) in the said place. In the evening I shall go over to Tuni to se my mother and shall return on 7th When I requested you to make some arrangements for my mother and younger brother you said that you would arrange to give me land at Addatigala during your next visit there for Jamabandi and till then I shall stay on in Narasipatnam. Soon after you send for me, I shall start and go to you".
S/d-
Sri AlluriSreeramaRaju,
Narsipatnam,
dt. 4-2-1922
The out break of August 1922-
Attack on three police stations
In January 1922, an alarm was raised that a man named Alluri Sri Rama Raju was plotting a rebellion. A sub-Inspector of Police telegraphed to Mr.Swire,the then District Superintendent of Police, Agency Division,of what he had heard and feared. Mr.Swire held an enquiry at Narsipatnam and Raju was also present there. It was concluded that there was no evidence of a plot to raise a rebellion but that Raju was better kept under police surveillance.
"In the result it was decided to give Raju some land in the Agency : a plot was chosen at paidiput village Addatigala in Rampa Division and a kadapa was executed which gave him possession of it."
"Apparently Raju settled there and soon acquired a reputation as s sanyasi,astrologer and megician. People from all parts of the agency went to see and consult him and he gave written mantrams to some of his callers."
"Nothing happened till 26th July 1922 when Raju was given by the Divisional officer, Rampa Division, a document which is a sort of "pass port" permitting him to go to Nepal. The officer who gave him this died the day after he gave it; so nothing is known of the reasons for his actions. Raju left the document at the Addatigala Police Station and went his way."
"Raju was next heard of at Peddavalsa in Gudem Taluk; there he was met by two leading men of Gudem- Gam Mallu Dora and Gam Gantam Dora, who complained to him of oppression by their taluk officer, Bastion , of the general discontent at his methods and at the forest reservation policy and told him they would join if he started a rebellion instead of going to Nepal."
On the 21st August 1922 Raju and the Gam brothers started collecting men at Peddavalasa and on 22nd August 1922 a large body of men marched on Chintapalli and attacked the police station. The three constables in the station could not do anything against about 200 men who carried away arms and ammunition.
In all they obtained 27 carbines, 38 boyonets, 20 swards and hundreds of rounds of carbine ammunation. On the 28th August they were at Gudem and Devarapalli and marched to Gangaraju Madugula in the ghats sub division.
The immediate reaction of the government was to send police parties to close up on the area which they called Rampa while it meant the Agency area of Visakhapatnam. Throughout the struggle from 1922 on wards, the area is mentioned in the records as Rampa and the men who rose in arms as "fituridars"
The station crime history of Chitapalli is recorded as follows for the 22nd August 1922 (Station Crime History -part- IV General Information. Station -Chintapalli-Village VI,District - Vizagapatnam (Extract dt. 18 August 1935) Signed by the Inspector of Police
The first attack during this fituri was on Chintapalli station on 22nd August 1922 at about 12 noon by Gam mallu Dora, Kankipati Sarabanna padel, Gabalam, Singadu, Mamidi Chinnayya, Jaggi Veerayya Dora and others headed by Alluri Sitarama raju and armed with muzzle loading guns. They tied the sentry and the waiting constables to the pillars of the station house, broke open the magazine and carried away about 1400 ball cartridges and 12 carbines.
The Inspector-General of Police proceeded to Narsipatnam, where a base was established. The Agency Commissioner and the Deputy Inspector General were to be available here to take quick decisions on different matters.
After looting three police stations, the rebel group had with them about 26 police muskets and 2,500 rounds of ammunition. At Rajavommangi the rebels released Virayya Dora from the prision. Virayya Dora was state prisoner at Vijayanagaram.
A second attack on Krishnadevipeta was feared when the sub-inspector was away attending the case of Virayya Dora at Rajavommangi on 24th August. Fear gripped the police force as they were not aware of when and how the attack would take place.
Three Assistant Superintendents of police arrived with more force on the 11th of September to search the Lammasingi area as also the jungles around Golugonda above ghats for rebels. Sitarama Raju moved over to Kilamkota and thence to Gangaraju Madugula. Many of his men were ill, The police were alert,averting the looting of police stations for arms and ammunition. Police searched villages and the Saraguda forest fo the rebels but in vain.
Two men were captured in the hills while the main body remained untraced. In this process even innocent villagers seem to have been caught and harassed for information, thus generating an atmosphere of fear in the tribal areas.
Sitarama Raju who planned the movement had a flag and the people identified it. There were mo face to face encounter or straight fight but it was guerilla warfare in the hills. Scott Coward, an experienced officer,with 33 reserve police and 6 mules left Chintapalli in search of the hideout of the rebels in the agency area. Local people gave food to the rebels, harbored them and also fed them with information about troop movements. The authorities were helpless as no information was forthcoming from the locals and the only thing they could do was to prosecute village headmen, who treated the police as aliens and indeed they represented the British. The agency Commissioner felt that "there was no general grievance which would make them support the fituri whole heartedly."
Word spread that the rebels were descending on Narsipatnam via Kondasantha at the foot of the hills and the police lay in wait to attack them.The rebels slipped off around Gantavari Kottagudem and went into a hiding place in the hills while the police exhausted themselves searching for escapists in Saraguda forest, Sarabhannapalem, Koyyur and Peddavalasa.
For the police troop, the terrain was difficult and unfamiliar movement in the hills and jungles infested with wild animals caused them a lot of hardship and peril. Once a tigress killed three men while six officers each with fifty men were searching the Peddavalasa- Gudem-Chintapalli area. By September, the police force gradually swelled to about 400 men and eight European officers. They used lorries and elephants for transportation of men, equipment and rations. When subordinate ranks of scouts were caught by his men, Raju did not kill them but sent them back putting the fear of God into them. He told them that war was not against the Sub-ordinates but against the foreign rulers, namely the British.
The station crime history of Chitapalli is recorded as follows for the 22nd August 1922 (Station Crime History -part- IV General Information. Station -Chintapalli-Village VI,District - Vizagapatnam (Extract dt. 18 August 1935) Signed by the Inspector of Police
THE REBELLION AND THE OPERATIONS
The first attack during this fituri was on Chintapalli station on 22nd August 1922 at about 12 noon by Gam mallu Dora, Kankipati Sarabanna padel, Gabalam, Singadu, Mamidi Chinnayya, Jaggi Veerayya Dora and others headed by Alluri Sitarama raju and armed with muzzle loading guns. They tied the sentry and the waiting constables to the pillars of the station house, broke open the magazine and carried away about 1400 ball cartridges and 12 carbines.
The Inspector-General of Police proceeded to Narsipatnam, where a base was established. The Agency Commissioner and the Deputy Inspector General were to be available here to take quick decisions on different matters.
After looting three police stations, the rebel group had with them about 26 police muskets and 2,500 rounds of ammunition. At Rajavommangi the rebels released Virayya Dora from the prision. Virayya Dora was state prisoner at Vijayanagaram.
A second attack on Krishnadevipeta was feared when the sub-inspector was away attending the case of Virayya Dora at Rajavommangi on 24th August. Fear gripped the police force as they were not aware of when and how the attack would take place.
Three Assistant Superintendents of police arrived with more force on the 11th of September to search the Lammasingi area as also the jungles around Golugonda above ghats for rebels. Sitarama Raju moved over to Kilamkota and thence to Gangaraju Madugula. Many of his men were ill, The police were alert,averting the looting of police stations for arms and ammunition. Police searched villages and the Saraguda forest fo the rebels but in vain.
Two men were captured in the hills while the main body remained untraced. In this process even innocent villagers seem to have been caught and harassed for information, thus generating an atmosphere of fear in the tribal areas.
Sitarama Raju who planned the movement had a flag and the people identified it. There were mo face to face encounter or straight fight but it was guerilla warfare in the hills. Scott Coward, an experienced officer,with 33 reserve police and 6 mules left Chintapalli in search of the hideout of the rebels in the agency area. Local people gave food to the rebels, harbored them and also fed them with information about troop movements. The authorities were helpless as no information was forthcoming from the locals and the only thing they could do was to prosecute village headmen, who treated the police as aliens and indeed they represented the British. The agency Commissioner felt that "there was no general grievance which would make them support the fituri whole heartedly."
Word spread that the rebels were descending on Narsipatnam via Kondasantha at the foot of the hills and the police lay in wait to attack them.The rebels slipped off around Gantavari Kottagudem and went into a hiding place in the hills while the police exhausted themselves searching for escapists in Saraguda forest, Sarabhannapalem, Koyyur and Peddavalasa.
For the police troop, the terrain was difficult and unfamiliar movement in the hills and jungles infested with wild animals caused them a lot of hardship and peril. Once a tigress killed three men while six officers each with fifty men were searching the Peddavalasa- Gudem-Chintapalli area. By September, the police force gradually swelled to about 400 men and eight European officers. They used lorries and elephants for transportation of men, equipment and rations. When subordinate ranks of scouts were caught by his men, Raju did not kill them but sent them back putting the fear of God into them. He told them that war was not against the Sub-ordinates but against the foreign rulers, namely the British.
The first three days of the rebellion
The first three days of the outbreak are described by Kolanki Kannadu when he was caught by the police. The village munsif Kankipati Balayya Padalu sent some vessels and rice through Kannadu, the vetti to Raju who was going to Madugula on his mission to loot Chintapalli, 30 men met Raju at Pentrapadu and Kannadu describes the events as he was one in the group : On the first day,about 2 p.m, the fituridars under Raju went to Chintapalli and asked the constables to hand over arms and ammunition. The three constables present were tied to the pillars of the station verandah and each of them guarded by four fituridars. The lock of the station was broken open, and eleven carbines along with two boxes of ammunition were taken away. They did not enter the armory. They reached Sarabannapalem the next morning i.e. 23rd August, By 4.p.m the fituridars reached Krishnadevieta and waited in the temple there. Gam Gantam Dora and Gam Mallu Dora the two brothers, along with Aggi Raju went to the police station to get arms, the Sub-inspector and the police-men ran away leaving the police station.
At Krishnadevipeta the rebels got seven carbines and some boxes of ammunition. At Nadimpalem they snatched away one carbine and cartridges from the constables returning from Rampol ghat and crossed Chintapalli ghat. Accompanied by a few men Raju looted Rajavommangi on the 24th August from the Kantaram side, while the others stayed back at Kntaram itself. The party under Raju brought in six carbines, some boxes of ammunition and two swords.
They reached Gudem back with the looted arms and ammunition on the 27th August while in the second round the consumption reached 20 kunchams a day (1 kuncham roughly 12 kg)
As the rebel group rested at Onjeri they sighted five elephants moving from Gimili side. Three men were sent to intercept them but the men returned that the elephants were crossing the hills and getting down the ghat with heavy loads.
Sitarama Raju and his men swung into action immediately and went in pursuit of the elephants. Thirty police constables were with the elephants and Gam Mallu Dora and Muttam Lingam Dora asked their men to open fire. Both sides opened fire and under the cover of the fusillade the police escaped abandoning the stores and the elephants. One policeman was killed in the encounter. Right from the first attack on the police station at Chintapalli on the 22nd August, Raju and his men were on the offensive. Boxes brought on the elephants were broken open and the clothes, cumblies (warm blankets) and coats were distributed among the members of the group who were really in need of them. After a full days of trekking on 4th September they reached Gondipakalu, a hamlet of Lammasingi the next morning. From here they cut across the Dhar Hills. While the group was in Dhar hills Kolanki Kannadu , Rimala Sanyasi were sent to Rampolu, the biggest village in the vicinity, to collect food but were caught by the police. Kannadu said that there were about 60 men in the group, while Rimala Sanyasi stated that he ran away at Velagapalem when the men numbered 90. Rimala Sanyasi went as a messenger to the different villages and in his statement he gave out the names of the people willing to join the rebellion.
From peddavalasa three men of the Padalu family, from Saparathipalem, Guduthuru,Balachinna, Guduthuru Bangarayya, Vadalam Lingayya and Vadalam Gunnayya and the village munsif of Rampolu were all supporting the rebels. Kolanki Kannadu , Rimala Sanyasi were the first to be arrested within the two weeks of the start of the rebellion. Their statements were recorded on 8th September at Chintapalli. Mottadam Virayya Dora, who joined the rebels after his relese from Vommangi jail on 24th August, was captured near Gudem and taken to Chintapalli on 5th September 1922. He had been free hardly for a fortnight.
Kamayya, a sub- Inspector of police, Jeypore, who was on fituri duty from Rampolu to Saparathipalem and Peddavalasa on the 5th of September to investigate if the rebels had collected food at Tirumamidi and Lakhavarapupeta. While returning, the Sub- Inspector was caught by twenty men ast Saparathipalem,five of them rebels in police uniforms. The Sub-Inspector was taken to ghat area four miles from there. In his presencr Sitarama Raju informed his men that he planned to get ammunition from Malkangiri and cannon from Jeypore (Koraput district of present Orissa). Sub-Inspector Kamayya was asked to inform his superiors about this and was relesed.
Apparently the police got the message about the Onjeri incident and began searching the area for the rebels. The Assistant Superintendent of Police, Scott Coward,known for his courage proceeded from Chintapalli on the 8th September, with all the reserves at his command, police numbering above 300 and six mules carrying equipment and rations.He even traced a hideout of the rebels on the slopes of Dhar hills but lost track of the rebels themselves. He searched the Saraguda forests intensely for ten days but with no result.
The terrain was difficult and a tiger attacked a police vehicle on the Lammasingi road itself. A postman climbing ghat road within a mile of the town was killed by the tiger on 23rd September. Along with Scott Coward was Hayter, who had done good work in Malabar,and had served during World War of 1914 and in the Afghan war 1919. As temporary Assistant Superintendent of Police, he was assisting Scott Coward, who not only had a good knowledge of the agency but was courageous enough to rush into deep forests in pursuit of rebels.
Near, Damanapalli, the village munsif's brother Kunderi Borram Naidu, informed the rebels about the police search party and their movements in the area. This enabled the rebels to lay ambush on Damanapalli ghat.
Visiting Damanapalli, the two British officers were returning to Serabhannapalem at the foot of the hills. The narrow track passed a steep ravine and the police force was proceeding single file. The rebels watched the advance guard from the jungle above the path and as soon as the guard passed, the two British officers at the head of the force were shot at and both the officers fell dead along with tow constables of the Bellary Special Force. One constable was killed and two others, a haed constable and lance naik wounded,while two others were missing. This was very unexpected event and the Inspector General of Police with a party of his men attempted to collect the dead bodies of the officers but came under heavy fire in which another police man was killed. The Inspector-General feeling helpless returned to Serabhannapalem and the bodies were brought in by the villagers later. The burial of Scott Coward and Hayter took place at Narasipatnam on 27th September 1922 while the injured police men died on the 3rd of the following month.
Along with the Agency Commissioner, the party left from Narasipatnam to Krishnadevipeta but was ambushed on the way and rocks were hurled from the hill tops making difficult for them to move out of the area. The government realized that the difficult terrain needed something more then ordinary police force. In the first six weeks, the police had lost two of the experienced British Officers and five policemen, while arms and ammunition from three police stations had been taken away and supplies to police and officers were intercepted on way to the hills.
The 7th May 1924 :
The 7th of May 1924, goes down in history as a historic date since on this day one of the greatest freedom fighters of Andhra fell to the bullets of the British. On that day, the intelligence wing patrol with Sub-Inspector Alwar Nayudu and jamadar Kunchu Menon were camping under tamarind tree near Mumpa village. From there they saw a fair man with a beard pass by, at a distance of some 200 yards. They got suspicious that this man could,in all probability be the leader of the movement Alluri Sita Rama Raju. According to the local accounts it may be inferred that towards the end of the 2nd year of struggle,things became hot for the poor peasants who had joined the movement in the hope of regaining their rights over the forests, their right for podu cultivation and for grassing cattle etc. There was no cultivation for nearly two years and no time to collect and sell the forest produce as the whole place was infested with Police and fighting forces. The men were now tired of the whole affair as almost all their hiding places had been combed and they were away from their hearth and homes for long with no concrete benefits. Sitarama Raju himself might have understood this feeling of theirs and might have wanted to come into the open.
Another version says that these two police officers were camping at Jeedipalem when a few policemen came running and informed them that a man of fair complexion and close beard was going through the jungle. They all rushed in that direction and saw the man a hundred yards away. The fair man pretended to escape on seeing the police and a few rounds were fired, Kunchu Menon, in charge of the intelligence patrol describes the situation in an awkwardly worded memoranda dated 7th May 1924. On seeing them, Menon says, the man lay down, the police surrounded him who he was. The words put into the month of Sitarama Raju might have been meant to please British Officers. Obviously they might have been concocted as they were completely against the very nature of Raju. The fair man said that he was Raju,whome they wanted and begged for his life. May be some of the locals had even planned to hand him over the police to gain a reward and also to bring the long drawn struggle to an end but it may be proper to infer that Raju surrendered voluntarily. Kunchu Menon suggests that two more of the Malabar Special Police, Naik Choyikutti and constable Kunhunni Panikkar caught Raju and brought him to the camp. While they were coming,two men with guns were seen lingering around and were fired at.
Sitarama Raju was caught near Mampa and taken to the camp of Major Goodal at Koyyur. The police sources again try to present a picture which could not be true. A person in the helplessness who had voluntarily came down the hills could not have made an attempt to escape. They say that Raju tried to escape when he was freed to ease himself. Local reports say that he was shot dead after he was tied to a tree near Koyyur.
The local people of Koyyur even today show the particular tree to which Raju was tied. The dead body was put in a standing posture on a cot and taken in procession as a deterrent for others. The procession went to Chidipalem where also the body was recognized or rather identified as the Raju's.
From there the cortege proceeded to Krishna Devipeta, one of the important basecamps of the government forces. People not only identified Raju but wept silently for fear of the police. The Deputy Tahsildar of Gudem,all the 50 muttadars and village munsif's and the local villagers who knew Raju even before 1922 August all identified him; still the British officers had a lurking fear of mistaken identify. The body of Sitarama Raju was photographed before he was cremated at Krishna Devi Peta on the morning of 8th May.
Sitarama Raju sent his mother and brother to Narsapur in June,1922. In this connection Raju ion was addressed a letter written in English with pencil under the signature to Bastin, Deputy Tahsildar of Gudem Taluk informing him about the journey of his mother.
At Krishnadevipeta the rebels got seven carbines and some boxes of ammunition. At Nadimpalem they snatched away one carbine and cartridges from the constables returning from Rampol ghat and crossed Chintapalli ghat. Accompanied by a few men Raju looted Rajavommangi on the 24th August from the Kantaram side, while the others stayed back at Kntaram itself. The party under Raju brought in six carbines, some boxes of ammunition and two swords.
They reached Gudem back with the looted arms and ammunition on the 27th August while in the second round the consumption reached 20 kunchams a day (1 kuncham roughly 12 kg)
Onjeri incident 3rd September
As the rebel group rested at Onjeri they sighted five elephants moving from Gimili side. Three men were sent to intercept them but the men returned that the elephants were crossing the hills and getting down the ghat with heavy loads.
Sitarama Raju and his men swung into action immediately and went in pursuit of the elephants. Thirty police constables were with the elephants and Gam Mallu Dora and Muttam Lingam Dora asked their men to open fire. Both sides opened fire and under the cover of the fusillade the police escaped abandoning the stores and the elephants. One policeman was killed in the encounter. Right from the first attack on the police station at Chintapalli on the 22nd August, Raju and his men were on the offensive. Boxes brought on the elephants were broken open and the clothes, cumblies (warm blankets) and coats were distributed among the members of the group who were really in need of them. After a full days of trekking on 4th September they reached Gondipakalu, a hamlet of Lammasingi the next morning. From here they cut across the Dhar Hills. While the group was in Dhar hills Kolanki Kannadu , Rimala Sanyasi were sent to Rampolu, the biggest village in the vicinity, to collect food but were caught by the police. Kannadu said that there were about 60 men in the group, while Rimala Sanyasi stated that he ran away at Velagapalem when the men numbered 90. Rimala Sanyasi went as a messenger to the different villages and in his statement he gave out the names of the people willing to join the rebellion.
From peddavalasa three men of the Padalu family, from Saparathipalem, Guduthuru,Balachinna, Guduthuru Bangarayya, Vadalam Lingayya and Vadalam Gunnayya and the village munsif of Rampolu were all supporting the rebels. Kolanki Kannadu , Rimala Sanyasi were the first to be arrested within the two weeks of the start of the rebellion. Their statements were recorded on 8th September at Chintapalli. Mottadam Virayya Dora, who joined the rebels after his relese from Vommangi jail on 24th August, was captured near Gudem and taken to Chintapalli on 5th September 1922. He had been free hardly for a fortnight.
Kamayya, a sub- Inspector of police, Jeypore, who was on fituri duty from Rampolu to Saparathipalem and Peddavalasa on the 5th of September to investigate if the rebels had collected food at Tirumamidi and Lakhavarapupeta. While returning, the Sub- Inspector was caught by twenty men ast Saparathipalem,five of them rebels in police uniforms. The Sub-Inspector was taken to ghat area four miles from there. In his presencr Sitarama Raju informed his men that he planned to get ammunition from Malkangiri and cannon from Jeypore (Koraput district of present Orissa). Sub-Inspector Kamayya was asked to inform his superiors about this and was relesed.
Damanapalle ambush : September 1922-
Police reinforcements :
Apparently the police got the message about the Onjeri incident and began searching the area for the rebels. The Assistant Superintendent of Police, Scott Coward,known for his courage proceeded from Chintapalli on the 8th September, with all the reserves at his command, police numbering above 300 and six mules carrying equipment and rations.He even traced a hideout of the rebels on the slopes of Dhar hills but lost track of the rebels themselves. He searched the Saraguda forests intensely for ten days but with no result.
The terrain was difficult and a tiger attacked a police vehicle on the Lammasingi road itself. A postman climbing ghat road within a mile of the town was killed by the tiger on 23rd September. Along with Scott Coward was Hayter, who had done good work in Malabar,and had served during World War of 1914 and in the Afghan war 1919. As temporary Assistant Superintendent of Police, he was assisting Scott Coward, who not only had a good knowledge of the agency but was courageous enough to rush into deep forests in pursuit of rebels.
Near, Damanapalli, the village munsif's brother Kunderi Borram Naidu, informed the rebels about the police search party and their movements in the area. This enabled the rebels to lay ambush on Damanapalli ghat.
Visiting Damanapalli, the two British officers were returning to Serabhannapalem at the foot of the hills. The narrow track passed a steep ravine and the police force was proceeding single file. The rebels watched the advance guard from the jungle above the path and as soon as the guard passed, the two British officers at the head of the force were shot at and both the officers fell dead along with tow constables of the Bellary Special Force. One constable was killed and two others, a haed constable and lance naik wounded,while two others were missing. This was very unexpected event and the Inspector General of Police with a party of his men attempted to collect the dead bodies of the officers but came under heavy fire in which another police man was killed. The Inspector-General feeling helpless returned to Serabhannapalem and the bodies were brought in by the villagers later. The burial of Scott Coward and Hayter took place at Narasipatnam on 27th September 1922 while the injured police men died on the 3rd of the following month.
Along with the Agency Commissioner, the party left from Narasipatnam to Krishnadevipeta but was ambushed on the way and rocks were hurled from the hill tops making difficult for them to move out of the area. The government realized that the difficult terrain needed something more then ordinary police force. In the first six weeks, the police had lost two of the experienced British Officers and five policemen, while arms and ammunition from three police stations had been taken away and supplies to police and officers were intercepted on way to the hills.
CAPTURE OF ALLURI SITA RAMARAJU
The 7th May 1924 :
The 7th of May 1924, goes down in history as a historic date since on this day one of the greatest freedom fighters of Andhra fell to the bullets of the British. On that day, the intelligence wing patrol with Sub-Inspector Alwar Nayudu and jamadar Kunchu Menon were camping under tamarind tree near Mumpa village. From there they saw a fair man with a beard pass by, at a distance of some 200 yards. They got suspicious that this man could,in all probability be the leader of the movement Alluri Sita Rama Raju. According to the local accounts it may be inferred that towards the end of the 2nd year of struggle,things became hot for the poor peasants who had joined the movement in the hope of regaining their rights over the forests, their right for podu cultivation and for grassing cattle etc. There was no cultivation for nearly two years and no time to collect and sell the forest produce as the whole place was infested with Police and fighting forces. The men were now tired of the whole affair as almost all their hiding places had been combed and they were away from their hearth and homes for long with no concrete benefits. Sitarama Raju himself might have understood this feeling of theirs and might have wanted to come into the open.
Another version says that these two police officers were camping at Jeedipalem when a few policemen came running and informed them that a man of fair complexion and close beard was going through the jungle. They all rushed in that direction and saw the man a hundred yards away. The fair man pretended to escape on seeing the police and a few rounds were fired, Kunchu Menon, in charge of the intelligence patrol describes the situation in an awkwardly worded memoranda dated 7th May 1924. On seeing them, Menon says, the man lay down, the police surrounded him who he was. The words put into the month of Sitarama Raju might have been meant to please British Officers. Obviously they might have been concocted as they were completely against the very nature of Raju. The fair man said that he was Raju,whome they wanted and begged for his life. May be some of the locals had even planned to hand him over the police to gain a reward and also to bring the long drawn struggle to an end but it may be proper to infer that Raju surrendered voluntarily. Kunchu Menon suggests that two more of the Malabar Special Police, Naik Choyikutti and constable Kunhunni Panikkar caught Raju and brought him to the camp. While they were coming,two men with guns were seen lingering around and were fired at.
Sitarama Raju was caught near Mampa and taken to the camp of Major Goodal at Koyyur. The police sources again try to present a picture which could not be true. A person in the helplessness who had voluntarily came down the hills could not have made an attempt to escape. They say that Raju tried to escape when he was freed to ease himself. Local reports say that he was shot dead after he was tied to a tree near Koyyur.
The local people of Koyyur even today show the particular tree to which Raju was tied. The dead body was put in a standing posture on a cot and taken in procession as a deterrent for others. The procession went to Chidipalem where also the body was recognized or rather identified as the Raju's.
From there the cortege proceeded to Krishna Devipeta, one of the important basecamps of the government forces. People not only identified Raju but wept silently for fear of the police. The Deputy Tahsildar of Gudem,all the 50 muttadars and village munsif's and the local villagers who knew Raju even before 1922 August all identified him; still the British officers had a lurking fear of mistaken identify. The body of Sitarama Raju was photographed before he was cremated at Krishna Devi Peta on the morning of 8th May.
Sitarama Raju sent his mother and brother to Narsapur in June,1922. In this connection Raju ion was addressed a letter written in English with pencil under the signature to Bastin, Deputy Tahsildar of Gudem Taluk informing him about the journey of his mother.
Raju's Letter to Bastin
To.
Mr.Bastin
Deputy Tahsildar
Gudem Taluka
Krishnadevipeta.
Sir,
Yesterday after you sent word to me, asking my mother to get prepared for the journey I came to see you in the evening. When I returned home after taking leave of you,in the night, I learnt that my mother had not taken her meals from the morning because of fear and confusion, nor she prepared for the jouney. As such I had to stop my journey last night. To-day I am sure to send her by 10 or 11 a.m.
Hoping to be excused.
Yours obediently,
(Sd/-)
Sri Alluri Sree Rama Raju
After sending his mother and brother, Raju was completely free to devote all his time for making preparations to launch the revolt.Through his teachings to hill people, Raju kindled the fire of independence in the minds of agency people were just waiting for Raju's order to revolt against the Government.
The much awaited day came as a surprise. As per the plan and arrangements the outbreak of revolt began with the attack on Chintapalle Police Station on 22 August,1922 under the leadership of Raju with his strong followers.
According to the station report a gang of rebels numbering about 300 armed with country guns,swords,spears,bows and arrows suddenly appeared at the station at about 5 p.m.overpowered the three constables and tied them to the pillars of the station. The detail of the ammunition lost was reported as eleven police muskets and 1,300 rounds of ammunition, five P.M.P swords, ten ammunition pouches,two leading chains,fourteen bayonets,nine cleaning rods etc
Next day ,23 August ,1922, at noon. Here also the Sub-Inspector was absent,having gone to visakhapatnam for audit training. They were easily overpowered by the rebels and rebels seized six muskets and 280 rounds of ammunition, fourteen bayonets, ten bayonet scabbards,five P.M.P swords, nine ammunition pouches and some uniform of the men in the lines.
The news of the fall of these police stations and subsequent risings created a sensation throughout the agency and altered the government, especially the operational machinery of the government. The rebels reached Gudem on the 28th and stopped there for the Dasara Puja.
On the 24th morning of September the rebels were halting near the Damanapalli ghat and a police party under Scott Coward and Hayter. The advanced guard of the police party was allowed to pass unmolested but when the two European Officers approched, fire was opened ad they were killed.
Raju camped with his followers within two miles of Krishnadevipeta. The rebels then proceeded to the Dhar Mattam, a sacred temple on the Dhar Hill, and from there crossing the Narsipatnam-Golugonda road in the Arilova forest towards south in the karaka hill on the 15th October,the rebels attacked Addatigala Police station but got nothing as all the arms and ammunition there had been previously removed as a precautionary measure.
On the 30th October 1922 the gang captured a police constable who was carrying (letters) and Raju made a remark in the Station House General Diary contained in the Tappal as " only sixty men and 30 guns"
against the portion relating to himself. Raju sent several messages to Forbes challenging him to come out and fight but he made no attempt to attack the post.
On 6th December 1922 the rebels visited Dharmattam hill temple, Raju's favorite place of worship.Then headed by Raju the gang left in the direction of Peddagaddapalem.On the morning of December 6, a part of Malabar police faced the rebels in the grove of tamarind trees.Firing took place from both the sides and fierce battle was fought and five rebels were killed and one was captured.On the same night between 11 to 11;45 another police party attacked the rebels at Lingapuram valley and the action lasted for an hour and ended at 12:45am.Due to inaccurate and spasmodic firing by the rebels, eight were dead and others were wounded. These two disasters caused a serious set back to Raju.
A proclamation was issued a reward of Rs.1,000/- for Raju's capture, Rs.1000/- for the capture of each of the Gam brothers and Veeraiah Dora and Rs.50/- for the capture of any of other rebels.Later the award was raised to Rs.10,000/ for Raju.On 25 June 1923 at 1.00pm to answer the complaint for committing the offenses of attempting to wage a war against the king,committing dacoity,robbery with attempting to cause death or grievous hurt and murder under 121,121 A,122,143,145,149,395, and punishable under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.
On September 2, a police party tried to capture Raju at Ramavaram but it was beaten back by the gang. The most important success for the Government was the capture of Mallu Dora, Raju's Cheif Lieutenant on the night of september 17.
By the end of the year 1923, it became evident that the forces in the agency were not sufficient to deal with the rebels. The Government of Madras there fore obtained the services of Assam Rifles and these forces arrived in Narsipatnam on 27 January 1924.Major Goodall headed the Assam Rifles. The rebels continued their activity visiting villages for supplies.On April 17, T.G.Rutherford was appointed as special Commissioner in charge of the agency operations and measures taken by him had some effect. Punitive tax was imposed on certain areas and number of village officers and others who assisted the rebels were punished.
On May 6, a party of the Malabar Police while searching for the rebels near Maderu river fell in the rebels. The rebels opened fire and wounded a constable seriously. The 7th May proved to be a historic event in the history of the the agency rebellion and a fatal day for the heroic Raju,
That morning an intelligence patrol of the East Coast Special Police led by Jamadar Kunchu Menon happned to observe a fair bearded man passing by and guessing that he might be Raju,captured him. After capturing Raju, he brought Raju before Major Goodal of Assam Rifles. It was alleged that Raju was shot dead while trying to escape.
Local people who were the witnesses to the incident report that Raju was shot dead after he was tied to a tree near Koyyuru. The shot wounds caused on the chest of Raju as seen in the photograph released by the Government adds strength to the version of the local people.
After the death of Sitarama Raju, a number of tribals and hill men were captured and taken into custody. During combing operations by the police,some others were suspected and arrrested. On 12 May 1924
the agency Sessions judge delivered his judgement in the case of action war against Mallu Dhora and several others. Mallu Dhora was sentenced to death which was later commuted for life imprisonment, while others were sentenced to deportation for life to Andamans.
