Alluri Sitarama Raju: 'Unsung' tribal hero who terrified the British

New Delhi, Aug 03: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently unveiled a 30-foot-tall bronze statue of a freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju, whose life inspired the multi-lingual blockbuster movie RRR. The statue was installed in the Kshatriya Seva Samiti in the Municipal Park in Bhimavaram, as part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations.

Popularly known as 'Manyam Veerdu' (Hero of the Forest), Sitarama Raju, also referred to by his surname Alluri, was born on July 4, 1897 at Pandrangi village in the then Visakhapatnam district.

According to history, the regular patriotic discourse during the freedom struggle had a strong influence on Alluri since his childhood. Following the death of his father, his schooling got disrupted and he went on a pilgrimage and toured the western, northwestern, north and northeastern India during his teens. The socio-economic conditions in the country under the British regime, particularly in the tribal areas, deeply moved him.

In the tribal areas, the villagers were exploited by Britishers, as they lacked knowledge and were powerless. Alluri became the voice and strength to them. He united various tribes, taught them guerrilla warfare and trained them to fight back with the colonial power. He was one of the bravest revolutionaries and freedom fighters.

During those journeys, he met revolutionaries in Chittagong (now in Bangladesh). Alluri then made up his mind to build a movement against the British. He organised the local Adivasis in the forest areas along Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts into a potent force to launch a frontal attack.

Thus was born the 'Rampa Rebellion' or the 'Manyam Uprising', in the Rampachodavaram forest area in the erstwhile East Godavari district, which rattled the mighty British forces. Using the Adivasis' traditional weapons, bows and arrows and spears, Alluri spearheaded many an attack on the British forces and became a thorn in their flesh.

He, however, realised that traditional weaponry was no match against the heavily armed British forces and, hence, planned to snatch the enemy's own weapons. The famed attack on the Chintapalli police station on August 22, 1922, with over 300 revolutionaries was the first in the series, which ended in a haul of firearms. The sheer audacity of Alluri in warning, in advance, the police of the date and time of the attack left the British stunned.

He enlisted the booty and signed the station diary after the attack, making it his hallmark. He led similar attacks later on Krishnadevi Peta and Raja Ommangi police stations. The revolutionaries under Alluri's leadership snatched weapons and armoury in all such attacks. A large contingent of Reserve Police personnel from Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Parvatipuram and Koraput was rushed to these areas led by British officers and, in the skirmish that ensued, two - Scot and Heiter - were killed by the revolutionaries on September 24, 1922, and several others wounded.

The Agency Commissioner J R Higgins had announced a prize of Rs 10,000 on Alluri's head and Rs 1,000 each on his close lieutenants Gantam Dora and Mallu Dora. The British deployed hundreds of soldiers from Malabar Special Police and the Assam Rifles, led by top officers, to crush the movement. Alluri won the grudging admiration of the British as a formidable guerrilla tactician. Unable to contain the 'Manyam' uprising, the British government deputed T G Rutherford as the new Commissioner in April 1924 to quell the movement.

Rutherford resorted to violence and torture to know the whereabouts of Alluri and his key followers. It was a relentless chase by the British forces that cost them an overall Rs 40 lakh. Unable to stand the brutal repression against the tribals, Alluri finally gave himself up and was martyred on May 7, 1924. He lived only for 27 years, but close to a century after his martyrdom, the Telugus continue to revere and worship Alluri. In the year 1986, the Indian Postal Department issued a stamp on his behalf, featuring his struggle for Independence.