Saquib Salim

“Chittu Pandey was my old and brave comrade whose death has pained me." Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said this at the U.P Political Conference on 20 April 1947.

Who is Chittu Pandey after whom the Yogi Adiyatanath-led government has named a new medical college at Ballia in UP?

Ballia, a district in the U.P, had practically thrown away the colonial government for a few days in August 1942 in response to Mahatma Gandhi’s call to Quit India. Even fewer know that the Civil Government formed by the Congress Committee in Ballia was headed by Chittu Pandey, one of the foremost leaders of this great revolt.

Under the leadership of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad a Congress Working Committee passed the resolution of Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942, asking the British to ‘Quit India’. The next morning all the prominent leaders of Congress including Gandhi, Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, etc. were arrested. People in Ballia listened to the news of these arrests on the 9th and read newspaper reports the next day.

People were full of patriotic fervour but directionless. Gandhi didn't provide them with any plan of action and local leaders had been imprisoned even before 8 August. Chittu Pandey, the District President of Congress, Jagannath Singh, Shivpujan Singh, Rajeshwar Tiwari, Ram Lakshman Tiwari, Baleshwarle Singh, and Yusuf Qureshi were the prominent leaders already in prison when the call for Quit India was made.

In May 1942, the Ballia Congress Committee started a door-to-door contact program to propagate nationalist points of view on the World War. For this purpose, the Azad Hind Swayamsevak Dal was formed, which helped people against thefts, and dacoities and prepared them to boycott the British war efforts. All leaders including Chittu Pandey were arrested by the end of May for organizing this campaign.

The arrest of the leaders couldn't dismantle Azad Hind Swayamsevak Dal. Thakur Radha Mohan Singh, Radha Govind Singh, and Thakur Parmatmanand Singh took up the leadership of this group. As a result, when the call for the Quit India Movement was made, on 8 August, Ballia was like a volcano ready to erupt, which it did.

On 10 August 1942, students in Ballia came out on the roads to protest against the arrests of Congress leaders after reading the newspaper reports. They were leaderless and had no plan of action. Students called a strike and the markets in Ballia were shut down.

Pandit Ram Anant Pandey, general secretary of District Congress Committee) led the party. Addressing 20,000 people on August 13, Pandey asked them to throw away the English government. Ram Anant was arrested the same day.

Leo Amery, the Secretary of State for India, broadcasted an address on 12 August telling the people that Congress leaders intended to cut off the telegraph lines, destroy railway tracks and stations, and attack police to stall the War efforts. People took this broadcast as a direction from the Congres.

On 13 August, Paras Nath Mishra, a student from Kashi Vidyapeeth addressed thousands of people at an ongoing fair urging them to attack Belthara Road Railway Station. The next day, a train full of students from Allahabad and Banaras reached Belthara Road Railway Station. The students addressed the crowd calling them cowards who had not burnt down the station yet. They called this train the Azad Hind Train.

A woman came forward and offered bangles to the men in the crowd for not burning down the station. The provocation was enough. Within minutes, the station was destroyed and burnt down.

This was the beginning. In the next few days, almost all the police stations, railway stations, and government buildings were either destroyed or captured by the Indian Freedom Fighters. Hundreds of people died by the bullets of police arms but it did not deter the passionate people of Ballia.

Government officials knew that only Chittu Pandey could save them. On 16 August, they sent a delegation to meet Chittu Pandey, Radha Mohan Singh, and Janaki Prasad in jail. The leaders replied that since they were in jail they didn't know much about the movement.

On 17 August, the District Magistrate and the Police Captain met them in jail. Radha Mohan Singh told them that a Panchayati Government would be formed and its order would be binding on them. To this, the magistrate said, “in so doing you will be hanged and I will be sacked.” Radha Mohan replied, “Don't worry, this is what happens in a revolution.”

By 18 August, the whole district was under the control of revolutionaries. Only the main town remained. On the morning of the 19th, the officers received news that almost 50,000 people were coming towards the town from different directions to attack the jail and get leaders released. Now officers ordered their release. Leaders were carried to the town by a crowd of thousands. Where they addressed them and congratulated them for putting on this brave show of national strength.

On 20 August 1942, a government of Ballia was established at Town Hall with Chittu Pandey as its head. Every village, muhalla, and locality has its Panchayat for administrative purposes. A public announcement was made that Ballia is under Congress rule and any complaint related to administration would be made to Chittu Pandey.

This glorious chapter ended as more troops were sent to the town. A reign of terror was unleashed. People were tortured, stripped, and beaten publicly, killed, and fined. More than 12 lakh rupees were collected as fine. Hundreds of homes were burnt down as a repressive measure.

Nandlal Singh, Sessions Judge at Ballia, noted in a later judgment, “......the Superintendent of Police, Ballia visited Rasra and got the house of Dr. Haricharan was looted and burnt by the Police and the same day some property of the shop of Ayub Ali was also burnt under the orders of the Superintendent of Police. About 15 days later the house of Bishwanath Singh at village Sardaspur P.S. Rasra was also looted and burnt under the orders of the Tabsildar Rasra and the house of Girdhari was also looted and burnt…. the officers who got the house of public looted and burnt would certainly have been liable for damages if the Indemnifying Ordinance had not been passed by the Governor General.”

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Chittu Pandey was jailed for two years along with hundreds of others. Needless to say, hundreds of Indian Freedom Fighters lost their lives but they did write a golden chapter in the history of Indian Freedom Struggle with their blood.