Born in Dhenkanal, Odisha, Baji Rout was the youngest Indian freedom fighter and martyr, tragically killed at the age of twelve.Rout, a boat boy, was shot by British police after he refused to ferry them across the Brahmani River on the night of October 11, 1938, at Nilakanthapur Ghat, Dhenkanal District of Odisha. As an active member of the Banar Sena, a group of young children associated with the Prajamandal movement, he had volunteered to keep watch by the river at night. When the British police ordered him to use his boat to cross the river, he declined. In response, they opened fire on Baji Rout.
Baji Rout was born on October 5, 1926, in Nilakanthapur village, Dhenkanal. He lost his father shortly after his birth and was raised by his mother, who was his only caregiver. His mother struggled to make ends meet by grinding and husking paddy at a quern in the neighborhood. To support his family, Baji worked as a boatman on the Brahmani River. He was also an active member of the Banar Sena, a group of young children involved in the Prajamandal movement.
What is Praja Mandal movement ?
Since the Mughal period, Odisha has been divided into two administrative revenue units: Mughalbandi and Gadajata (Princely states). Mughalbandi encompassed the coastal regions of Odisha, while Gadajata included the hilly terrains. The Gadajatas were led by Odia chiefs who paid annual tributes to the emperors and were recognized as the feudatories of the Imperial Mughals
The Gadajatas were plagued by illegal taxation, excessive land revenue, and the harsh feudal practices of Bethi (forced labor), Beggary (unpaid labor), Rasad (free ration), Magan (free contribution), and Bheti (tributes). The British administration supported a state of lawlessness, unprecedented feudal oppression, and the undemocratic rule of the native Odia princes. In response to this oppression, the Praja Mandal Movement began in the Dhenkanal Feudatory State in 1938. This popular nationalist movement gained momentum in Gadajatas, challenging the severe feudal oppression and undemocratic governance of the native Odia princes.
Noticing the growing popularity of the movement, the kings of other feudatory states offered their support to the King of Dhenkanal. They dispatched armed troops and reinforcements to Dhenkanal. The British administration also sent a platoon of soldiers from the Calcutta Presidency to bolster the tyrannical King of Dhenkanal. On September 20, 1938, a contingent of 200 European soldiers from the King’s Own Scottish Borders regiment arrived in Dhenkanal.
The king had imposed a new tax on the people, and those who resisted were oppressed, with their properties confiscated. The leaders of the Prajamandal movement were undeterred by the king or the British forces and were rallying support among the people. They sought to energize the movement by holding meetings in Bhuban village, the largest village in Odisha.
British brutality in Dhenkanal
Upon learning of these gatherings, the British army, led by Major Bazalgette, attacked Bhuban village on October 10, 1938. The army destroyed homes, and when the villagers protested, the British forces opened fire, resulting in the deaths of two villagers. This incited even greater anger among the local population. Feeling outnumbered, the British army and police decided to retreat. They fled toward Dhenkanal, needing to cross the Brahmani River. As they ran, the angry villagers followed in pursuit.
Young Baji Rout supreme sacrifice
At the river, 12-year-old Baji Raot stood by a boat when army officers commanded him to ferry them across. However, the courageous boy refused, asserting, “It is the order of the Prajamandal that I will not allow the king’s army to cross the river.” The soldiers, armed with sticks and guns, threatened him, but their intimidation had no effect. In response to his defiance, the soldiers shot Baji, striking him in the head, and he died instantly.
After rowing the boat a few yards away, the troops loaded their guns and fired a volley at the silent crowd standing on the bank. A few were killed instantly, and many sustained fatal wounds. The dark, lonely night in a still darker land witnessed the martyrdom of additional fighters from our territory. Seven dead bodies, in a state of putrefaction, were brought by boat to Jenapur and then transported by rail to Cuttack. There, they were placed in separate bullock carts and paraded through the streets of Cuttack in a grand procession . These martyrs’ bodies were cremated at Khan Nagar, Cuttack, near the Kathajodi River, on October 13, 1938.
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