The most atrociuos incident took place at Eram in Basudevpur police station where the police party opened fire against the unarmed villages and killed 29 people on the spot and injured 55 people.

That was the most tragic event of the August Revolution in Orissa. Probably, nowhere in India so many people were killed in a single police action during the revolution. The incident took place on 28 September 1942. The Eram massacre has been described as second Jalliana Bagh massacre.

It was at Nimapara in the district of Puri where violent incident took place on 16 September 1942. When the people wanted to hoist the congress flag at the police station, they were prevented from doingso and ultimately police opened fire,killing one person and injuring several others.

In the district of Sambalpur, the most prominent congress leader Pandit Laxminarayan Mishra was arrested. Students of several schools went on strike and objectionable pamphlets were circulated in the district.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

However, no violent incident occurred anywhere in the in the district. in the district of Ganjam, the revolution took the usual form of burning a number of Government buildimgs and destroying the telegraph lines.

In the district of Koraput, the August Revolution took a violent form. On 21 August, hundred of Congress volunteers, led by the local leader Lakshman Nayak, had assembled at Maithili to stage Satyagraha in front of the police station.

They did not pay any heed to the police warning and seriously injured one forest guard who died later on. In the police firing four persons were killed on the spot. Lakshman Nayak and many others were arrested. Subsequently, Lakshman Nayak alone was sentenced to death and hanged in Berhampur jail on 29 March, 1943.

Another violent incident took place on 24 August 1942 at Pappadahandi where the police party was attacked by thousands of tribal people. In the police firing twelve persons were killed on the spot and many more were injured. Thus Koraput, one of the backward districts of Orissa, rose in open rebellion in August 1942 and the innocent tribal people faced bravely the police firing for the freedom of their motherland.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The Quit India Movement, despite the shortcomings, achieved certain objectives. It revealed the ability of the people for struggle and sacrifice and demonstrated their desperate longing for freedom.

The polarity of the congress and the faith of the masses in its objectives were proved once again. In fact the Quit India Movement was the climax of the Indian struggle for freedom and sounded the death knell of the British Empire in India.

In Orissa, as in other parts of the country, early in the morning of 9 august 1942 all important congress leaders were taken to custody. The Government declared all congress bodies, there offices as unlawful. There was no visible opposition to the arrests of important congress leaders and seizures of congress institution in the provinces from the people in the first instance. The Government officials believed that the strom had subsided. But it was not so.

In the district of Cuttack, the movement started was the participation of Ravenshaw College students by launching strike on 14 August which was followed by other educational institutions in the town. Elsewhere in the district, particularly in Jajpur and Kendrapara violent activities took place in several areas?

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The Congress Ashram at Bari was seized by the police soon after beginning of the movement. It was at Kaipada, a village near Bari, where the people demanded the release of the arrested persons; the police resorted to firing, killing five persons and injuring many more.

It was at Jajpur where the biggest crowd about ten thousand, gathered on 27 August 1942 and marched towards the office of the sub-divisional officer, approaching the offcials to to resing from their jobs in order to join the movement. Distrubances also occurred at Ersama, Tirtol, Jagatsinghpur and Balikuda where the people resorted to violent activities and burnt some Government institutions like post-officesw.in the district of Balasore, the August Revolution took a violent turn at several places and caused maximum casualities in the province.

The first violent incident took place on 17 August 1942 at Bhandaripokhari where a mob about one thousand people surrounded the police station. One constable was beaten severely and others fled away to save their lives.The police station was burnt completely.

The Government imposed a collective fine of Responsebilities 6000/- on twelve villages for mob violence. The police resorted to firing at Katsahi, Khairadihi and Tudigadia to disperse the violent mob.