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Freedom Fighters of Madhya Pradesh
- Pavan Chodhary
- Jul 25
- 9 min read
Updated: Aug 4
Nathuram Sutrakar
He got the title of “Diwan”
In 1938, during Dodi-Fatehpur Satyagraha, British police lathi-charged them in which his companions were badly and was sentenced to two months of imprisonment.
Shaligram Shukla
Born in Balaghat
He was an ardent follower of Chandrashekhar Azad. On 2 December 1930, when some of his co-revolutionaries, like Nandkishore Nigam, Surendra Pandey, Vishwanath Vaishampayan and others were going to take training in gun shooting under the guidance of Chandrashekhar Azad, they were ambushed. In the ensuing encounter he lost his life in police firing.
Dada Dharmadhikari
Dada Dharmadhikari, also known as Shankar Tryambak Dharmadhikar was born in Multai, Baitul
He actively participated in the Civil Disobedience movement and was arrested and sent to Nagpur Jail.
In 1942, he participated in the 'Quit India movement' along with his wife, who was arrested and imprisoned in Wardha Center Jail.
Ganjan Singh Korku
Ganjan Singh Korku was one of the prominent leaders of this forest satyagraha during Civil disobedience Movement.
On 22nd August 1930, Ganjan Singh led a crowd of hundreds of Gond and Korku people armed with axes and lathis to the reserved forests. They broke the law by entering the forest.
Maulana Barkatullah
He was born in Bhopal.
In February 1904 he left for Japan, where he was appointed as a professor of Hindi literature at the University of Tokyo.
He started a journal named ‘Islamic fraternity’
Joined the Gadar Party, and was appointed as its vice president.
After his great work at the Gadar party, he went to Germany in 1914 where he started the
“Indian council for Independence” along with his fellow revolutionaries like Har Dayal and Champakaraman Pillai.
Then he went to Turkey seeking support and met the president of Turkey Anwar Pasha. After his meeting, Turkey extended support to his council in the armed struggle.
He and his comrades declared independence for India on 2 October 1915 and formed the Government of India with Raja Mahendra Pratap, as its President and Barkatullah Bhopali as the Prime Minister.
In 1988, Bhopal University was renamed Barkatullah University in his honour.
Narendra Kumar Vidyarthi
He was born in village Dhangaon in the Chhatarpur district.
Particularly in the Quit India Movement of 1942
Viyogi Hari
Hindi writer and journalist born in the Chhatarpur.
He became a close associate of Gandhi ji
In the 1920s, Viyogi established a school for the marginalised communities at Panna and started a periodical Patit Bandhu from Jabalpur
He was an active member of the ‘Harijan Sewak Sangh’ and was the founding editor of the journal Harijan Sewak.
Poem: Maharana Pratap and Deshdroh
Kunwar Hira Singh
The All India States People’s Conference held in Bombay in 1927, led towards the creation of the Lok Parishad and Praja Mandals in various Princely States of India.
Chhatarpur Praja Mandal was formed, with Kunwar Hira Singh as its President.
Deshpat
He was born in Chahtrpur
In 1851, Regent Rani of Chhatarpur (Regent of minor king Jaghat Ram) had conspired with him and foiled the attempts taken by the British to arrest him.
He was provided with resources that were used in the attack on Charkhari in 1857, where he fought alongside Tantia Tope.
Gopal Singh Thakur
He was born in Damoh
In 1930, he joined the Jungle Satyagraha to oppose British rule. He was sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment by the Damoh judge.
Participate in Quit India Movement
Gyanchandra Srivastava
Together with his friends Ramnarayan Mishra and Mahadev Prasad Gupta, Gyanchandra orchestrated a bombing at the government school.
As a result, he was sentenced to death and sent to Nagpur Jail alongside his companions.
However, due to his age, which was less than 18 years, his death sentence was commuted.
Raja Mardan Singh
He was King of Chanderi, but his maximum area captured by British, then he transferred capital to Kelgua
During 1857 revolt,Mardan Singh gathered a large army force in Lalitpur and seized control of the railway station.
He captured the British officers stationed there and escorted them to Chanderi.
But the British managed to capture Chanderi, Banpur, and Lalitpur.
Kaluram Swarnakar
He was deeply influenced by the ideology of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and started a group with his young companions to engage in patriotic activities.
Kaluram Swarnakar
He was deeply influenced by the ideology of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and started a group with his young companions to engage in patriotic activities.
Thakur Kishore Singh
During revolt of 1857, His army tried to looted 1.5 Lakh rupee kept in Damoh Fort.
Raja Bakhat Wali of Shahgarh and Raja Mardan Singh of Manpur sent military aid to the revolutionaries of Damoh.
Thakur Kishore Singh, along with his 4000 soldiers and Raja Shahgarh's troops, had captured several nearby villages and the Kumhari police station
They held their ground for about six months.
Captain Pinky defeated them near Sagar.
Pandit Kunj Bihari Lal Guru
In 1920, during the Non-Cooperation Movement, he left his legal practice to join the freedom struggle.
He was arrested during the Quit India Movement, and spent 10 months in various jails.
After India gained independence, he also provided his guidance and cooperation to the Apex Bank of Madhya Pradesh
Raghunath Sahay Verma
Due to an accident in his childhood, Raghunath was permanently blinded in one eye and had little sight in the other eye.
He conducted the activities of Azad Hind Fauj in Damoh.
Gokul Chandra Singhai
He returned the title of "Rai Sahib" and established a weaving house in his home to promote the use of khadi.
In 1924, he became the first person to be elected as M.L.C. (Member of the Legislative Council) in the C.P. Berar State, from Damoh district.
He continued to oppose English rule and was imprisoned in 1931 for his leadership in the civil disobedience movement.
Komal Chand Modi
Jawahar Printing Press, founded by Komal Chand Modi, was dedicated exclusively to printing materials related to the freedom struggle.
These materials were distributed among activists and the public in order to inspire a sense of patriotism and ignite the desire for independence.
Kashinath Trivedi and Kalavati Trivedi
Kalavati along with her husband Kashinath Trivedi reached Sabarmati Ashram and join the freedom movement.
Under the leadership of Gangabahan Ved she joined the Bardoli and Borsad farmer's movement along with Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.
They participated in Lahore Congress (1929) and Karachi Session (1931)
Kanhaiyalal Khadiwala
He would traverse villages, carrying khadi on his shoulder and passionately advocating for its adoption.
His dedication to khadi and his attachment to it led Mahatma Gandhi to address him as "Khadiwala" upon their meeting.
He established 'Gandhi Bhawan,' a pivotal hub for the freedom movement in Indore.
Saadat Khan
Saadat Khan, an officer in the cavalry unit of Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar II, the ruler of Indore.
He started revolt of 1857 in Indore, and attacked on Residency Kothi of Indore.
He was arrested in 1874 and hanged at Residency Kothi Indore.
Bakhtawar Singh
Participated in 1857 revolt
He captured the Dhar Fort for some time, which was later besieged by the British forces on October 20, 1857.
His army escaped through a secret passage and reached Mandsaur to join the forces of Prince Feroze Shah.
He was attacked by the British when he left the Lalgarh fort on his way to Indore.
Bakhtawar Singh was executed in Indore on February 10, 1858.
Gajanan Sadashiv Potdar
One of the closet colleagues of Chandra Shekhar Azad, he organized a running bomb factory for number of years.
He actively participated in the revolutionary activities in Gwalior, Kanpur and North India and had to undergo severe torture in the prison.
Amarchand Banthia
He was a son of Amirchand Banthia, a treasurer of the Rewa state.
He was the treasurer of the Gwalior treasury under the Scindia dynasty.
He was one of the very few people to know the information about the Gwalior Gangajali treasure.
He helped Rani laxmi Bai, when he captured Gwalior Fort
British hanged him publicly at a neem tree in Sarafa Bazaar, Gwalior.
Thakur Daulat Singh
In the Nemawar tahsil of erstwhile Hoshangabad, the rebellion was led by Thakur Daulat Singh.
It was only by late January 1858 the British could take control of the fort again and clear the district from the insurgents.
Subhadra Kumari Chauhan
She participate in Jhanda Satyagrah in 1923, she was first women arrested in Jhanda Satyagarh.
C. Rajgopalachari appreciated her, who said, “This brave act of Subhadradevi will be heard and felt in every home in India.”
Bhawani Prasad Tiwari
He translated Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali into Hindi
Post-independence, Bhawani Prasad Tiwari had embarked upon multifarious literary feats and continued to be an astute patriot all his life.
Shankar Shah
King Shankar Shah was the last ruler of the Garha Kingdom in Gondwana.
He led the freedom struggle against the East India Company in Jabalpur.
He and his son Kunwar Raghunath Singh stood up to Commissioner, E. Clark who was imposing unfair taxes on the landlords and tenants.
He was successful in igniting a fire of revolt against the Britishers.
When the Britishers found that the situation may go out of their hands, British Commissioner, E. Clark captured King Shankar and his son Raghunath.
They were executed on 18th September 1857 by canon.
Seth Govind Das
From 1920 to 1947, he was an active member of the Indian National Congress (INC).
In 1923, he was bestowed the honorific title of Kaka Sahib for representing the people of the Mahakoshal region in the Council of States.
Participated in Non-cooperation movement, Civil disobedient Movement, First Individual Satyagrahi of Madhya Pradesh and also partipated in Quit India Movement.
Upon India's independence, he became a member of the Constituent Assembly, which drafted the Indian Constitution and ultimately established India as a Republic.
Kavi Pradeep
Original name: Ramchandra Narayanji Dwivedi
Born at Badnagar, Ujjain district
Famous poet and film song writer
He wrote a song "Aaj Himalaya ki choti se phir humne lalkara hai door hato e duniya walo Hindustan hamara hai" in 1943 for film Kismet, and arrested by British Govt, but prosecuting officer said after watching the film several times, in this song, Pradeep targeted Germany and Japan, not the British.
He wrote many patriotic song like De di hume azadi hume bina khadak bina dhal, Laye hain hum toofan se kashti nikal ke, Aao baccho tumhe dikhaye Jhanki hindustan ki, E mere Vatan ke logo, etc.
Durga Shankar Mehta
In 1922, Mehta played an active role in the Flag Satyagraha in Madhya Pradesh and Nagpur, which led to his arrest and a two-year imprisonment in Nagpur jail.
In 1927, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly as a member of the Swaraj Party.
In 1930, during the Jungle Satyagraha in Madhya Pradesh and Bundelkhand, Mehta led the movement in Betul, Chhindwara, and Seoni districts,
Thakur Ranmat Singh
Leader of 1857 revolt from Satna.
He held the rank of a Sardar in the service of the Maharaja of Rewa.
He and his associates were unhappy with Willoughby Osborne’s (Resident Political Agent of Rewa) policy and interference in state matters. He led a crowd of 2000 persons to besiege the bungalow of Osborne, he managed to escape.
Ranmat Singh was arrested by King of Rewa and sent to Banda where he was found guilty of murdering Europeans and was hanged to death on August, 1860.
Avanti Bai Lodhi
Avantibai was the daughter of Rao Jujhar Singh, the Jagirdar of Mankeri, Seoni.
She was married to Vikramaditya Singh, king of Ramgarh.
During, 1857 revolt attacked on Mandla Fort and Captured.
British officer Willingdon with help of Banda's Nawab and Raghuraj Singh, Rewa King.
Janakidevi Bajaj
Freedom fighter and social reformer was born into a merchant family based in Jaora in the Ratlam district of Rajasthan.
She burnt all of her expensive foreign-made clothes and adopted Khadi.
Along with Rajendra Prasad and Mahindra Prasad, Janakidevi visited various places to spread the boycott campaign.
She was the only woman delegate to participate in the Congress session held in Ahmedabad in 1921.
Following the arrest of Gandhi and Jamnalal in 1930, Janakidevi organised civil disobedience in Bombay city.
As part of the movement, She organised a Takli (hand spindle) spinning competition in Kolkata.
Kunwar Chain Singh
Prince Kunwar Chain Singh (1800-1824) of Narsinghgarh refused to grant the British any power to exercise political authority over his kingdom.
When his ministers shared the plan with his enemy, Chain Singh had the traitors killed. Following this, the British administration directed their Political Agent Maddock, stationed at Sehore cantonment to confront Chain Singh.
In June 1824, Kunwar singh fought against Maddock in Sehore and martyred along with his companions.
He is called Mangal Pandey of Madhya Pradesh.
Much before the First War of Independence in 1857, Chain Singh showed immense courage to stand tall against the British.
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