Amco-Simco martyrs go unsung

AMCO-SIMCO (Sundargarh): Decades after 49 peasants sacrificed their lives in the struggle against the irrational levy imposed on them, they are yet to be recognised as freedom fighters.Come April 25 and the nondescript Amco-Simco village, about 18 km from Birmitrapur town in Sundargarh district, hogs the limelight for a day. Leaders and people from various sections of society would visit the village to make tall promises while paying tributes to the tribal martyrs.In 1939, the tribals of the locality under the leadership of Nirmal Munda had  revolted against the irrational levy imposed on them. The Queen of Gangpur called the innocent tribals to the Amco-Simco ground to discuss the matter. More than 3,000 people had congregated. But she ordered the British soldiers to disperse the mob and several innocent people were killed in the firing. But the sacrifice of the martyrs went unrecognised. Nirmal Munda, who led the movement, got the recognition as a freedom fighter in 1972. The other tribal peasants, who died in the firing, remained unrecognised. In hindsight, it’s an unending struggle for the successors of the martyrs. The successors continue to languish in abject penury and neglect. Recognition of the martyrs as freedom fighters would have given their families, who are leading a pathetic life, the benefit of pension.While the peasant successors of the martyrs are leading a frugal life, all political attention is directed towards making glitzy memoirs.Munda’s widowed daughter-in-law Subhani Dang is now leading a life of penury and  confined to bed with ailments at Bartoli village, adjacent to Amco-Simco. Her son, Nirmal Dang, leads a life of vagabond.President of Amco-Simco Martyrs Memorial Committee (AMMC) Prof. Bijay Toppo lamented sluggish development of the historical place into a tourist getaway. A library, a tube-well and a half-constructed approach road are all that the village boasts of. He disclosed that Minister SP Nayak recently sanctioned ` 60 lakh for roads while there is no donor for installing a statue of Nirmal Munda.