Independence Day 2024: Even after independence, hoisting the tricolor in Bhopal was a crime, four youths were shot at indiscriminately

Bhopal State merged with India on 1 June 1949

Highlights

Raisen became a part of independent India in 1949 instead of 1947. People protested as Bhopal state was not merged with India. The tricolour was hoisted here after the sacrifice of four youths in Bouras.

Chetan Rai, Navdunia Raisen. Although our country got independence from British rule on 15 August 1947, Raisen became a part of independent India in 1949. In fact, for three years, the Nawab of Bhopal State kept thinking about forming a separate country or merging with Pakistan. Raisen, a part of that state, could not join independent India for three years.

After this, a separate freedom struggle started in the district, which is called merger movement. Hundreds of youth faced torture of the Nawab of Bhopal state, many sacrificed their lives, then people got freedom from the Nawabi rule and Raisen became a part of Madhya Bharat province of independent India.

The Nawab of Bhopal did not merge

When India became independent on 15 August 1947, the Nawab of Bhopal Hamidullah Khan decided to keep Bhopal state independent. Due to this decision, all the residents of Bhopal state including Bhopal Raisen did not become free even after the country became independent.

It was a crime to hoist the national flag

Bhopal was ruled by the Nawab from 15 August 1947 to 1 June 1949, i.e. for 659 days. It was considered a crime to hoist the Indian national flag here. Bhopal Nawab Hamidullah Khan wanted to keep it as an independent princely state. At the same time, Hyderabad Nizam was urging him to merge with Pakistan, which was geographically impossible.

Public outrage due to non-merger

There was a lot of resentment among the people due to the non-merger of Bhopal State even after so much time of independence, which turned into a merger movement, which later took a violent form. A merger movement was launched for independence. Raisen, Sehore district was the main center of the strategy and activities of the merger movement for the merger of Bhopal State into the Indian Union.

agitation in Sihor Raisen

In Raisen, Sehore itself, Uddhavdas Mehta, Balmukund, Jamna Prasad Choubey (Bhargava), Lal Singh, Vichitra Kumar Sinha had established Praja Mandal in January-February 1948 to run the merger movement. All the big leaders of the merger movement had already been arrested.

The tricolor was hoisted on 14 January in Bouras

The tricolour was to be hoisted in Boras on 14 January. Seeing the absence of all the big leaders of the movement, Baijnath Gupta came forward and hoisted the tricolour. As soon as the tricolour was hoisted, the Narmada coast of Boras echoed with the slogans of Bharat Mata Ki Jai and merger will happen.

Bullets fired on those raising slogans

The police chief said that anyone who raises slogans of merger will be shot dead. On hearing this threat from the inspector, a 16-year-old boy named Chhotelal came forward with the tricolour in his hand and shouted slogans like Bharat Mata Ki Jai and merger will happen.

Many sacrificed their lives to not let the flag fall

The police opened fire on Chhotelal, before he could fall a youth named Dhansingh grabbed the tricolour, Dhansingh was also fired upon, then Mangalsingh and Vishal Singh were fired upon, but no one let the tricolour fall down. These four youths were martyred, but did not let the tricolour fall down. Many people were seriously injured in this firing incident.

News of the funeral procession of the martyrs reached Delhi

A large number of people from Hoshangabad and Sehore had participated in the merger movement meeting held in Boras. People were very angry due to the Boras firing incident. The Nawab was also scared due to the anger of the people. On January 16, a huge funeral procession of the martyrs was taken out, in which thousands of people participated.

Bhopal was finally merged on 1 June 1949

As soon as the news of this incident was received, the then Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel sent his representative BP Menon to Bhopal. After all the formalities, Bhopal State merged with the Republic of India on 1 June 1949. The tricolor flag was hoisted here 659 days after India’s independence.