Baji Rout

 

Youngest freedom fighter Baji Rout

Baji Rout is the youngest ever freedom fighter who was shot dead by the British at the tender age of 12. Who was Baji Rout? What was his story?

Baji Rout was born in 1926 to Hari Rout and Rania Devi in the village of Nilakanthapur in present day Orissa. Losing his father very early, he could not get any education as his mother could not afford to send him to school. His elder brothers were also doing manual labour and earned very little.

This was the time when the Prajamandal movement was active in the state of Orissa. Prajamandal movement was a protest against the oppression of local landlords, zamindars and prices by the people of that area. Since many of these local landlords and zamindars were working with the British to oppress the local population, the Prajamandal movement had the support of the Congress party.

King Shankar Pratap Singhdeo, who was the local ruler was a tyrant and oppressed the people of the area. The locals, instead of becoming afraid, were more determined to continue with their protests.

In 1938, thousands of villagers surrounded the palace of PratapSinghdeo and were planning a long protest. At the request of their leaders to protest in a disciplined manner, they dispersed. Even though it was a nonviolent protest, the King got his armed guards along with support from the Britishers to put down the villagers.

Baji’s brothers were members of the Prajamandal and at a young age Baji was made aware of the atrocities of their local king and the support given to him by the Europeans. As a child living in that region, the atrocities committed by the police and government officials made a deep impression on Baji. On his subconscious level, Baji, therefore, developed hatred and anger for the king in his childhood.

After the siege of the palace, the troops unleashed a reign of terror in that area. Villages were raided, police beat and killed people, looted and destroyed houses and forced people to sign a declaration of loyalty.

In one of the protests, two people were shot dead and a few arrested. The police tried to cross the river Brahmani with the arrested rebels. The village Banarsena group of which Baji was a member, tried to stop the ferry service by detaining the village boat.

This led to a scuffle between the police and the villagers. Six people including Baji were shot dead in the process. The Prajamandal leaders took all the six dead bodies to Cuttack in a procession where a mass gathering at the crematorium signified the anger of the people. The killing of Baji became a rallying point and he became a legend in Odisha.

Today there is a Baji Rout Memorial College in Bhuban in Odisha.