Unsung heroes of Bairanpally revolt

Bairanpally: The Burj (watch tower) of Bairanpally village, which was once the focus of the revolutionary movement in Telangana against the Razakars (Nizam’s private army) in 1948, is shot into focus all of a sudden. More than 100 Communists became martyrs during the revolution.

Now the dilapidated structure has become a stage for a political seesaw battle between the ruling TRS and the BJP State unit. The latter has been trying to checkmate the former by raising the demand for observing September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day officially.

Both the parties make allegations, counter allegations, accusations and counter-accusations against each other on the issue.

Jangti Lacchavva (86) was just 16 years old when Razakars attacked the village as the residents had refused to pay annual tax to the Nizam rulers then. For almost three months, Lacchavva and women from the village had to run away and hide in fields, trees and bushes away from the village. She, along with two other women, was caught by Razakars in the fields on one unlucky occasion. The Razakars took away whatever little jewellery they were wearing at the time. The three women were stripped naked and were made to play Bathukamma.

“They did not beat us, they did not rape us. But we lost our ‘maanam’ when they made us dance naked,” she tells The Hans India. Lacchavva is the only woman who is still alive to recollect and narrate the gory experiences during her village’s movement against Razakars. She currently lives in a small house along with her elder son who is a farmer.

Lacchavva, a Dalit victim of the atrocity perpetrated by Razakars, is yet to be recognised as a freedom fighter.
There are many like her who are alive with the memories of the movement still fresh in their minds. Every year political parties pay respects to the martyrs near the ‘burj’ and media highlights the plight of the survivors.

There are some people who are getting freedom fighter pension of Rs 25,000 per month. But there are many survivors in the village who are still running from pillar to post to get recognised for the collective sacrifices they made for the freedom of Telangana from Nizam’s rule.

Thermanti Ramalingaiah’s wife Balrajamma (82) is one such widow whose husband died in 2012, after prolonged unsuccessful attempts to be recognised as a freedom fighter.

He was one of the fighters who remained underground from January 1948 till September 17, 1948. A warrant was issued against him by the Nizam rulers. There are many like her-- victims, fighters or martyrs, who went through unimaginable pain inflicted upon them by the Razakars, still waiting for the governments to help them.