Homage: Shridev Suman who preferred death than apologising to autocratic monarchy after 84 days of Hunger strike/ Salutes

Today is the 104th Birth Anniversary of eminent freedom fighter, renowned civil right activist and revolutionary Shri Dev Suman, primarily hailing from Tehri Garhwal, then under undivided Uttar Pradesh, who not only struggled hard and fought a relentless battle against the then invincible ruler of the Tehri Garhwal, who was considered as the incarnation of God Badrinath known as Bolendu Badri in Garhwali dialect and sacrificed his precious life at age of mere thirty after going on incessant hunger strike for prolonged 84 days in protest against the anti people deeds of the Tehri monarchy n the contaminated food mixed with grinded glass powder being supplied to him inside the Tehri jail under the most terrible n tortuous circumstances.

The then most tortuous, anti people rule of the Rajshahi of Tehri Garhwal on the arbitrary orders of the king allegedly threw the legend’s dead body in Alaknanda river cladestinely in order to keep his shocking news of death away from the people who were badly angered, furious, annoyed and in resentment mood to resort to direct action against the king n his anti people rule for inflicting unbeareable torture on this great revolutionery n freedom fighter opposing the feudal dynasty n authoritarian system tooth n nail.

What surprised and impressed the people of entire Tehri Garhwal about Sridev Suman’s uniqueness and outstanding protests against the Tehri Rajshahi’s prevailing torture n anti people actions and the British rule’ s suppression was that at a mere age of 14 he had not only actively participated in the Salt movement ( namak Satyagraha ) in Dehradun inviting 15 days imprisonment , he also organised several protests and civil right movements to strongly oppose the tyrranies of the then King of the Tehri Dynasty.

Born on 25th May 1916 in village Jual of Tehri Garhwal, then under undivided UP, Shridev Suman was a social activist and a brave fighter since his student days. His dedication to freedom fighter movement and equally the fighting spirit against the anti people rule of the Tehri Rajshahi has resulted in uniting the scattered people of Tehri Garhwal who were also the victims of the incessant suppression of the dynasty. He secured his early education in Chamba and Tehri, Garhwal and was arrested for 15 days for actively participating in the Namak Satyagraha in Dehradun at the age of merely 14 years.

Being a hard core activist in the freedom movement and also a strong opponent of the King of Tehri for suppressing poor people of their fundamental rights and imposing arbitrary taxes on them, Shri Dev Suman also served as an editor of vernacular newspaper and writer for several underground publications thus inspiring people, especially youths to fight against the misdeeds of the Tehri king and Britishers.

Having been extremely dedicated and active in the freedom movement struggle and against the Rajshahi of Tehri Garhwal, Shridev Suman was invited as an active participant of the hills in 1939 by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, held in Ludhiana. Then merely twenty six year old , Shridev Suman brought the tortures and tyrranies inflicted on the people of the Tehri Rajshani into the knowledge of Pandit Nehru and his sister Vijay Lakshmi Pandit. This complaint was taken by Pt Nehru very seriously.

After coming back to Tehri from the Ludhiana conference, enthusiastic Shri Dev Suman united the freedom fighters and the general public of Tehri n the adjoining areas and acquainted them about raising the tyrranies of Tehri Rajshahi in the conference in the presence of Nehru n Vijay Laksmi Pandit.

This badly infuriated the king who started his torture on all those who were opposing his rule. In 1942 Sridev went to Wardha Ashram to meet Mahatma Gandhi, seek his blessings and also acquaint him of the activities of “Prajamandal ” especially their incessant struggle against the autocratic n anti people rule of the Tehri monarchy. The activism of Shridev Suman in freedom struggle and simultaneously against the autocratic rule of Tehri monarchy has badly infuriated the King who started thinking of strigently torturing Suman.

As he reached Tehri back from Wardha after seeking Gandhiji’s blessings, scores of policemen who were clandestinely looking for him arrested Suman and put him in Tehri Jail.

Fully committed to wage a full fledged battle against the monarch of Tehri n his autocratic anti people rule, Shridev Suman was rock solid in determination and never surrendered to the wishes of the king. He was put in jail on December 23rd 1943.

The jailer inflicted tremendous inhuman tortures on him and fed him with unhyegenic food which was later on mixed with grinded glass pieces. Suman was pressurised to confess his actions as severe crimes and seek the king’s mercy by duly apologising. But fully determined n cimmitted freedom fighter and a revolutionery Shridev Suman never relented. After, the entire tortures of the jail authorities on him failed , Shridev Suman was finally charged of ” Treason” against the Tehri Rajshahi .

There being the complete monopoly of the monarch and massive terror of the king despite India on the verge of freedom, no Congressmen or the feeedom fighter or the public dared to come forward to resent or fight his case. This compelled Shridev Suman to himself defend his case with commitment, determination and fearlesslessness. Facing injustice of false charges n being fed with rotten and grinded glass pieces’ food, Suman had no choice but to go on indefinite hunger strike. After 84 days of hunger strike and not apologising to the Tehri monarch who even asked to withdraw the fast n secure his freedom, Shridev Suman breathed his last on 11th July 1944.

Fearing immense n spontaneous retaliation and oppostion from the infuriated people n freedom fighters of Tehri Garhwal, the body of this legendary freedom fighter and revolutionery was thrown in the night in Alaknanda river. Tons of Salutes to the real son of the soil Shridev Sumanji.