This book deals with the saga of the heroic freedom struggle in Andaman Islands was inalienably linked to the long and glorious struggle of our revolutionary freedom movement fought on the mainland and it has deep political significance in the annals of history of freedom struggle. The penal order established in Andamans by the British after the First War of Independence in 1857 was the beginning of the agonising story of political prisoners in the massive and awful jails at Viper Island and other detained barracks where many perished due to hardships. The infamous Cellular Jail based on the concept of Auborn system i.e. the solitary confinement of the prisoners was the colossal edifice has mutely witnessed the most treacherous of inhumane atrocities borne by the political prisoners for a minor lapse. The political prisoners came to Kalapani from various movements during freedom struggle. Some noteworthy national revolutionary movements like The Wahabi Movement 1830-1869 Mopla Rebellion 1792-1947 First Rampa Rebellion 1878-1879. Second Rampa Rebellion1922-1924. Tharawadi Peasant Rebellion Burma Rebellion 1930. Freedom fighters involved in famous cases and movements like Gadhar Party Revolutionaries 1914, Assembly Bomb case 1929 the Second Lahore Conspiracy case the Chittagong Revolt 1930 were also deported to Andaman and they were subjected to inhuman tortures at the hands of the British jailors. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose arrived in Port Blair on December 29 1943 and was given a ceremonial welcome. He hoisted the National Flag at Port Blair on 30th Dec. 1943 and declared Independence of India marked significant event in the annals of history of modern India. The Japanese occupation of these Islands further brought unexpected sorrows and brutal killing of innocent people was historical blunder.
This book is the modest attempt to focus on revolutionary resistance, which helps significantly in developing an insight into the manner in which the British inflicted atrocities on their subjects who peacefully and diligently opposed the oppression in innumerable forms. I felt that an intensive and further research could be conducted for greater and vital role of the political prisoners and to identify themselves within the Indian nationalism. |
