Issuru uprising: How a Karnataka village declared independence from the British Raj in 1942

Issuru, a small and quaint little village in Shikaripura taluk of Shivamogga district in Karnataka, was once an obscure locale, unknown to the outside world. However, 71 years ago, it catapulted to the national consciousness by declaring its independence from the British Raj, establishing a ‘prati-sarkar’ or parallel government. Issuru’s rebellion took the nation by storm, and even Subhas Chandra Bose, in his address on Azad Hind Radio, paid tribute to the village’s martyrs, who raised the banner of revolt against the imperial rule.

It is equally significant that the functionaries of the new Issuru government consisted of children under the age of 16 years. In the history of the freedom movement, Issuru secured a distinguished place due to the gallant sacrifice of five young revolutionaries who were executed by the British government in March 1943.

Nestled within Western Ghats part of Shikaripura, Issuru lies approximately 58 km away from the district headquarters of Shivamogga. The villagers of Issuru could never have foreseen that their struggle for Independence would create a landmark in the history of Indian Independence. Now, every year, the tricolour is ceremoniously hoisted in the centre of the village. The elders of the village recount — with pride and reverence — the tales of valour and selflessness exhibited by their near and dear ones for the country’s freedom.

The inspiration

What propelled the villagers of Issuru to declare their village ‘Azad Issuru’ in 1942, and the consequences of their stance against imperial governance, is an electrifying story in itself. On August 8, 1942, at the All India Congress Committee session in Bombay (now Mumbai) Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement. Like every other part of the country, Karnataka also responded to his clarion call. The villagers of Issuru decided to respond to Gandhi's call in their own way.

They used to meet at the centuries-old Veerabhadreshwara Temple, which has a spacious courtyard. This temple turned out to be the epicentre for activities of freedom fighters during Quit India Movement. During one such meeting, the villagers resolved to declare Issuru independent and hoist the Indian flag atop Shikaripura taluk office. Their slogan was: “Yesuru Kottaroo Issuru Bidevu” (we won’t part with Issuru, even if government offers any number of villages in exchange).

Until recently, there were people who could recall the events that led to the uprising of 1942 in Issuru. N S Huchchurayappa, a 106-year-old eyewitness and the sole survivor of the Issuru freedom movement, passed away on August 18, 2019. But this writer is fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and converse with Huchurayappa, recording his version of the historical Issuru uprising before the centenarian left the mortal world. Huchurayappa’s grandson, N S Narayana Kumar (67), narrates the events from seven decades ago in the style of his grandfather. “Halamma, Siddamma and Parvathamma, who valiantly fought against the British forces, left the village long ago. Then, Issuru ran its own government for over five months, with its elected representatives and functionaries below the age of 16,” Narayana Kumar told The Federal.

Village deity as Deputy Commissioner

According to Huchurayappa, it was landlord and leading philanthropist Sahukar Basanneppa, who took the leadership of the freedom movement in Issuru, following Gandhi’s call to the British to Quit India. A parallel government was formed by the elders and children below the age of 16 were elected as Tahsildar (revenue head of taluk) and Police Inspector. The rationale behind choosing children was to avoid apprehension by British forces.

The newly formed village government drafted its own rules and regulations. The village deity Veerabhadraswamy was appointed as Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the new government. “The temple bell acted like a watch tower as freedom fighters would ring the bell as a warning and signal of outsiders entering the village. Reverberations of the bell could be heard from miles away then. Ringing the bell also acted as a call for meetings and, within no time, about 500 villagers would assemble in the courtyard of the temple,” recalls R S Basavarj, the grandson of Sahukar Basanneppa.

The villagers erected a signboard, with “Swaraj Sarkar of Issuru” inscribed on it. The tagline read: “The entry of officials of the British government is strictly prohibited and trespassers will be prosecuted under the rules of the Issuru government.” This signboard stood at the entrance of Issuru for 47 days. To hoist the Indian flag at the Shikaripura taluk office, freedom fighters disconnected telephone wires and destroyed the bridge linking the village with Shikaripura.

The eruption of violence

The trouble started with Shanubhog (village accountant) Ranga Rao and Patel Channabasappa (village revenue head) entering the village without permission. The villagers snatched the record and fined them to the tune of Rs 10 each for their unauthorised entry into the village. When the officials refused to pay a fine, they were asked to stand on one leg for three hours and took an undertaking that they would abide by the rules of the ‘Prati-Sarkar’ before they were let off. This was perceived by officials as a challenge to British supremacy.

On September 28, 1942, a team of revenue and police officials descended on Issuru and destroyed the signboard. For villagers, it was an attack on their nationalist movement. A huge assembly of freedom fighters stopped them at the village entrance and forced them to wear Khadi/Gandhi caps. When the police refused to obey the village government’s order, a 15-year-old boy, representative of the Issuru government, removed the cap of one of the police officers. Faced with humiliation, the police officer ordered lathicharge, following which the temple bell rang. Hundreds of villagers assembled and retaliated. Though the police officer fired in the air in self-defence, a bullet pierced through the left arm and right cheek of two freedom fighters. Infuriated by the firing, women, children and the elderly, who were armed with clubs and pestles, attacked the police and revenue officials. In the melee, a police officer and a revenue official died on the spot. In the violence that erupted hundreds of villagers got injured.

Five revolutionaries hanged to death

The resistance put forth by the villagers of Issuru was interpreted as a direct challenge to the unassailable imperial government and a military unit stationed in Haveri was asked to march towards Issuru. What ensued later remains a dark chapter in the annals of Indian Independence. Recognising the gravity of the situation and the death of government officials, all the freedom fighters took shelter in the nearby forests and hilly areas of Western Ghats, leaving behind only children, the elderly and women in the village. When the British Military Force arrived, empty streets greeted them. The inhumane treatment meted out to women, children and the elderly by the army remains heart-wrenching to this day. The houses of the rebels, including that of Sahukar Basannppa, were raided and burnt to ashes.

The British government registered criminal cases against the freedom fighters and the charge sheet was filed against 41 villagers. Ultimately, on December 5, 1942, the Higher District Court issued its verdict, pronouncing death sentences for nine freedom fighters and life terms for the remaining 32 people. Upon hearing the arguments, the court passed death sentences for five freedom fighters, including Gurappa Kammar, Jinahalli Mallappa, Suryanarayanachar, Badekalli Halappa and Shankarappa Gowda.

In 1943, all the five freedom fighters were hanged between March 8 and 10 in Bengaluru Jail. But revolutionaries, who took shelter in the forests, continued their fight till the country achieved Independence on August 15, 1947. When the country became Independent, imprisoned revolutionaries of Issur were released. A picture, clicked by a photographer in front of Shivamogga jail, still remains a lonely testimony for the Issuru uprising.

Even after seven decades, the tale of the Issuru uprising is still in the memory of the second generation of revolutionaries. Dr. K. Virupakshappa discussed the Issuru freedom struggle in his PhD thesis on Freedom Struggle in Malnad region. Issur Lakshminarayana wrote and staged a 120-minutes-long play, Issurina Ee Shooraru (These Heroes of Issuru) with a cast of 100 artistes. Inspired by the story of the revolutionary struggle, Basavaraj Vaibhav, a filmmaker, is making Issuru Dhange-1942 (Issuru Rebellion). There was a memorial of five revolutionaries who were hanged by the imperial government. During his term as chief minister, B S Yediyurappa had sanctioned Rs 6 crore to develop Issuru Memorial on the lines of Shivapura in Mandya district. “But the families of those five rebels, who laid their lives during the uprising, are being left in the lurch. It is time for the government to reach out to the family of the martyrs of Issuru,” says Narayana Kumar.