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Floral tributes to martyr

KORAPUT: It was another 1942-A Love Story written in Mathili of Malkangiri district with thousands of tribal freedom fighters offering their commitment to love their motherland resulting in their confinement along with their leader Lakshmana Naiko in Cell No.1 of the District Jail at Koraput .

The cell in the jail , the Martyr’s house in Tentuligumma and the police station at Mathili spoke of the martyr on Tuesday, to mark the freedom movement in 1942 when a big crowd of about 2000 persons under the leadership of Lakshmana Naiko of Tentuligumma had proceeded to Mathili on August 21 and had a public meeting at the weekly market place about half a mile from the police station .

Lakshmana Naiko had exhorted the people to establish people’s Raj and not to co-operate with the British government.

The police had arrested him and brought him to the thana where a large crowd gathered following their leader . Not being able to disperse the people, the police took to simultaneous lathicharge and firing as a

result of which six persons had died on the spot , about one hundred people received injuries and many were speared and bayoneted.

A case against Lakshmana Naiko and 53 others was started for the alleged offence of murder of a forest guard which was ended in conviction and sentence of Lakshman Naiko to hanging , while others were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment .

According to Biswanath Patnaik , a fellow freedom fighter who was in the jail during that period , the tribal martyr had a feeling that he was not able to see his land freed from the British.

A function offering floral tributes to the freedom fighters was held at the memorial in Mathili on Tuesday with Sadan Nayak, MLA of Kodinga attending as chief guest.

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