Rajamahendravaram: Demand to honour Tammanna Dora as first tribal freedom fighter

Rajamahendravaram: The speakers at the Karam Tammanna Dora commemoration meeting demanded that the government should honour Tammanna Dora as the first tribal freedom fighter.

The meeting was held at Bandapalli village of Rampachodavaram mandal on Monday under the auspices of Adivasi Mahasabha (AMS). Bandhapalli sarpanch Karam Swami Dora presided over this meeting. The speakers also wanted the government to declare the district as Rampachodavaram and the headquarters should be named after first tribal freedom fighter Karam Tammanna Dora. Their other requests include construction of a community hall in the name of Tammanna Dora in Rampachodavaram; installation of his statues in Bandapalli and Rampachodavaram; setting up of tribal museum to preserve the relevant information so that future generations would know about the life of Tammanna Dora and his biography should be included in the curriculum.

AMS legal adviser Inyapurapu Suryanarayana said that before the 1857 revolt in India, the Rampa Rebellion took place from 1839 to 1848 in Rampachodavaram area against British rule under the leadership of Karam Tammanna Dora.

He demanded that the government must honour Tammanna Dora as the first tribal freedom fighter in a befitting manner.

He expressed concern that the Central and State governments are acting indifferently in commemorating the first tribal hero with a rich history. In the souvenir published by the Government of India on the occasion of 75 years of independence, Karam Tammanna Dora and Manyam Veerudu Alluri Seetarama Raju have been identified as freedom fighters from the AP tribal area. In 1840, a group led by Karam Tammanna killed 12 British policemen, he said. After this incident, Tamanna Dora’s guerrilla struggle continued for eight years in different areas, after which Tammanna Dora went into hiding, and later on 28 July 1880, he died in a fight with the Britishers.

Suryanarayana criticised that both State and Central governments for being negligent in providing justice to Tammanna Dora’s family members and giving due respect to the fighter.

MPTC members M Saibabu Dora, K Vamsikrishna Dora, AMS leaders G Chinnarao, AV Satyanarayana, M Chinna Reddy, A Veerabhadra Reddy, M Bangaru Babu, K Chinna Pothiraju, Adivasi JAC leaders T Shekhar, S Venkataramana and others spoke.