Seven innocent students shot dead by the British India government (1942), Patna - Colonial rule


Patna Secretariate. Martyr's Memorialen.wikipedia.org/

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 In the early 1940s, India was struggling under the oppressive  British rule and there was no semblance of freedom from them as the Conservative British government took a tough stand against India. India-baiter Winston Churchill hogged the limelight for wrong reason.  The US President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressured Prime Minister Winston Churchill to  accept  some of the Indian demands.  No way. Britain did not lose the firm grip on India

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As decided at the Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee headed by Mahatma Gandhi  the Quit India Movement was launched on 8 August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British Rule of India. The Cripps Mission, having failed, on 8 August 1942, Gandhi made a call to Do or Die in his Quit India speech given in Bombay at the Gowalia Tank Maidan. This was followed by mass protest by the congress leaders and others. Being in the middle of war time, the British acted swiftly that resulted in the imprisonment of  the leadership of the INC  without trial within hours of Gandhi's speech. People in thousands were sent to the prison under some pretext. Most spent the rest of the war in prison and out of contact with the masses. At this crucial time, the British had the support of the Viceroy's Council (consisting mostly Indians), of the All India Muslim League, the princely states, the  entire British civil and military administration, besides some selfish business people. Many students took inspiration from Subhas Chandra Bose, who was in exile and supporting the Axis Powers. He ran his own army against the British called Indian National Army (INA).  In the wake of this protest, sporadic violence occurred across India. At last, the quit India movement was a failure, as the British put an end to it and told the Indian leaders that freedom would be possible after world war II  had ended. In the WWII British took severe beating  and in the subsequent years after the change of government in London, freedom was granted to India, but indirectly they divided India into two nations, the other being the birth of Pakistan, purely based on religion.

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There is a  Martyr's Memorial, also known as Shaheed Smarak on the Secretariat premises at Patna., It is a life-size statue of seven young men who sacrificed their precious lives  for the sake of our country. They did not engage in any criminal activities. During  the Quit India movement (August 1942), these young men wanted to hoist the national flag on the (now) Secretariat building but were mercilessly shot dead by the British government.
 
Patna secreteriate, Bihar. wikimedia.org/

 Image above: Seven daring students wanted to fly the Indian National flag on the Patna Secretariat building. August, 1942. No compassion, they were shot dead by the police. No enquiry, no trial. During Quit India moment thousands were behind the bar without any trial. ..................

During the tumultuous quit India movement, eminent Gandhian Dr. Anugrah Narain was arrested  when he daringly tried to unfurl the national flag in Patna. Being a well-known leader in this region, the people were in rage upon hearing his arrest by the government. A group of seven students, driven by patriotic zeal could not brook the nasty treatment meted out to a great  leader like Dr. Narain. They made up their mind to do something which other students wont think of at that age. With firm commitments and guts, they tried to unfurl the national flag on the Patna Secretariat building - the very seat of British power. Without remorse all the seven were shot dead by the British police. Imagine how despotic the British were  and how much greed they had to hang on to India to prosper their nation.

The foundation stone of Martyr's Memorial was laid on 15 August 1947, by the governor of Bihar, Mr. Jairam Das Daulatram. The sculptor Deviprasad Roychoudhury  prepared the nice bronze statues of  seven students with the national flag. which were statues were cast in Italy and later placed here.

 Following are the martyrs, whose names are engraved on Martyr's Memorial.

    Umakant Prasad Sinha(Raman Ji) - Ram Mohan Roy Seminary,class IX, Narendrapur.
   

Saran Ramanand Singh - Ram Mohan Roy Seminary, class IX, Sahadat Nagar (at present Dhanarua), Patna
    Satish Prasad Jha - Patna Collegiate School, class X, Khadahara, Bhagalpur
    Jagatpati Kumar - Bihar National College, 2nd year, Kharati, Aurangabad
    Devipada Choudhry - Miller High English School, class IX, Silhat, Jamalpur
    Rajendra Singh - Patna High English School, matric class, Banwari Chak, Saran
    Ramgovind Singh - Punpun High English School, matric class IX, Dasharatha, Patna


Tit-Bits: 

 In 1992 Reserve Bank of India issued an one Rupee commemorative coin to mark the Golden Jubilee of the Quit India Movement.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quit_India_Movement

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyrs%27_Memorial_Patna