Major Dūrgā Malla (1 July 1913 – 25 August 1944) was the first

Gorkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recruit ...

soldier among the

Indian Gorkha Indian Gorkhas also known as Nepali Indians, are Nepali language-speaking Indians. The modern term "Indian Gorkha" is used to differentiate the ethnic Gorkhas from Nepalis. Indian Gorkhas are citizens of India as per the gazette notificatio ...

s in Indian National Army (INA) to sacrifice his life to the cause of Indian independence. Malla belongs to Thakuri ethnic group. Thakuri community is one of the valiant community in Gorkha or Nepali. Statue of Freedom fighter Durga Malla infront of the Darjeeling Municipality 02

Statue of Freedom fighter Durga Malla infront of the Darjeeling Municipality 02

Early life

Malla was born in July 1913 at Doiwala near Dehradun, into a

Thakuri Thakuri ( ne, ठकुरी) is a sub-caste of Khasas tribes in Nepal. It consists of the historical ruling class, and is made up of the descendants of the Great Khasa Malla kingdom rulers of the Baisi and Chaubisi principalities. The former ...

family of

s. He was the eldest son of Nb Sub Ganga Ram Malla. In 1930, when

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

was leading the countrymen to march for independence through Dandi March, Malla was a student in class nine. He caught attention for his public statements against the British. In 1931, at age 18 years, he moved to

Dharamshala Dharamshala (; also spelled Dharamsala) is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located away from Dharamshala, in 1855. The ...

and enrolled in 2/1 Gorkha Rifles. His patriotism brought him close to the Indian National Army of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Contribution

In 1942, Malla joined INA. His skills and devotion to duty elevated him to the rank of Major and he was asked to work in INA intelligence. While he was collecting information about the enemy, he was captured at

Kohima Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...

on 27 March 1944. He was sentence to death by the Court of Trial at Red Fort,

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

. However, before the death sentence was executed, the authorities tried to coerce him into admitting to sedition. His wife was brought to the prison cell, but Malla did not succumb to the pressure.

Personal life

Malla married Sharda Malla of Shyam Nagar,

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

in 1941. Three days after the ceremony, Malla was recalled to his headquarters and directed to go abroad. He next met his wife just before his execution at Delhi District Jail. In 1944, Major Durga Malla was sent to the

gallows A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...

. To honour Malla, a statue donated by

Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh ( ne, भारतीय गोर्खा परिसंघ; translation: ''Indian Gorkha Confederation'') is a non-government national-level organization of Gorkhas (Nepali) ethnic group of India. Bharatiya Gorkha ...

, a national body of Indian Gorkhas, was unveiled at the Parliament House Complex by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2004. Vice President

Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (23 October 1923 – 15 May 2010) was the 11th vice president of India. He served in that position from August 2002, when he was elected to a five-year term by the electoral college following the death of Krishan Kan ...

, Lok Sabha Speaker

Somnath Chatterjee Somnath Chatterjee (25 July 1929 – 13 August 2018) was an Indian politician who was associated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for most of his life, though he had been a non affiliated independent during his last decade. He was t ...

and other dignitaries were present. 25 August, the day of his hanging, is observed as Balidan Diwas, or Martyrs' Day, by Gorkhas across India. Statue of Malla were erected at Garidhura village in

Darjeeling district Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its hill station and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters. Kurse ...

and infront of Darjeeling Municipality.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malla, Durga 1913 births 1944 deaths People from Dehradun district Indian independence activists from Uttarakhand Indian Gorkhas People executed by British India by hanging Military personnel from Uttarakhand Gurkhas Executed spies Military personnel killed in World War II Indian military personnel killed in action Indian National Army personnel who were court-martialed Executed Indian collaborators with Imperial Japan