Kanaklata Barua (Assamese : কনকলতা বৰুৱা ; 22 December 1924 – 20 September 1942), also called Birbala and Shaheed (martyr), was an

Indian independence activist The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by individuals and organizations from a wide spectrum of society to obtain political independence from the British, French and Portuguese rule through the use of a many methods. This is a l ...

and

AISF The All India Students' Federation (AISF) is the oldest surviving student organisation in India, founded in 1936. Pre-independence AISF was founded on 12 August 1936, with guidance and cooperation from the Indian independence movement. The ...

leader who was shot dead by the

Indian Imperial Police The Indian Imperial Police, referred to variously as the Imperial Police or simply the Indian Police or, by 1905, Imperial Police, was part of the Indian Police Services, the uniform system of police administration in British Raj, as established by ...

of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

while leading a procession bearing the National Flag during the

Quit India Movement The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...

of 1942.

Early life

She was born on 22 December 1924. Unfortunately she died on 20 september,1942. Barua was born in the Borangabari village of the undivided

Darrang Darrang () is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Mangaldoi. The district occupies an area of 1585 km2. History No definitive records about Darrang are available for the pre-med ...

district of

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

as the daughter of Krishna Kanta and Karneshwari Barua. Her grandfather Ghana Kanta Barua was a famous hunter in Darrang. Her ancestors were from the Dolakasharia Barua kingdom (

Chutia The Chutia people (Pron: or ''Sutia'') are an ethnic group that are native to Assam and historically associated with the Chutia kingdom. However, after the kingdom was absorbed into the Ahom kingdom in 1523–24, the Chutia population was ...

vassal chiefdom) of the erstwhile Ahom state who relinquished the Dolakasharia title and continued retaining Barua title. Her mother died when she was only five and her father, who remarried, died when she reached thirteen. She went to school till class three but then dropped out to take care of her younger siblings.

Independence activism

During the Quit India Movement Barua joined the Mrityu Bahini, a death squad comprising groups of youth from the

Gohpur Gohpur (IPA: ˌgəʊəˈpʊə) is a town and headquarter of Gohpur sub-division in Biswanath district in the Indian state of Assam. It is a historical place of Assam, where the famous freedom fighter Kanaklata Barua was born. The current MLA fro ...

sub division of Assam. On 20 September 1942, the Bahini decided she would hoist the national flag at the local

police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, al ...

. A procession of unarmed villagers were led by Barua to do so. The police under Rebati Mahan Som, the officer in-charge of the police station, warned the procession of dire consequences if they proceeded with their plan. Undeterred by the police, the procession continued marching ahead when the police fired upon the procession. Barua was shot and the flag she was carrying with her was taken up by Mukunda Kakoti who too was shot at. Both Barua and Kakoti were killed in the police action. Barua was only 17 years of age at the time of her martyrdom.

Death and commemoration

The Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS Kanak Lata Barua of the

Indian Coast Guard The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is a maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency of India with jurisdiction over its territorial waters including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. The Indian Coast Guard was formally esta ...

, commissioned in 1997, is named after Barua. A life size statue of hers was unveiled at Gauripur in 2011. Her impassioned speech before her death, remains a source of inspiration for many. She laid down her life for the freedom of the country at the age of 17 years.

Popular culture

Her story was retold in director Chandra Mudoi's film, ''Epaah Phulil Epaah Xoril. ''The Hindi version of the movie, titled Purab Ki Awaz, was also released to reach a wider audience.

Early life

Independence activism

Death and commemoration

Popular culture

See also

References

Further reading