By
Saquib Salim for New Age Islam
24 March
2023
"The (White English) soldiers haunted young women from place to place and outraged (raped) them even in the bylanes. No woman was safe. Even pregnant women, women who had just delivered and girls of 12 or 13 years (minors) were outraged." A delegation from the Women's Association submitted in its report of atrocities by the British Soldiers in Chimur, Nagpur on 19, 20 and 21 August 1942.
Often we
are made to believe that the English rule with all its evils didn't indulge in
raping women, burning houses and looting people like mediaeval mercenary
armies. In popular discourse English soldiers are presented as justice loving
who helped in expansion of the economy. A close look at contemporary records
gives us a completely different picture. English soldiers raped Indian women on
a large scale.
Maulana
Abul Kalam Azad led Congress adopted the Quit India Resolution moved by Mahatma
Gandhi on 8 August 1942. Indians were asked to boycott and non-cooperate with
the British. The Congress leadership was arrested but Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
directed the Indians through radio transmissions from Berlin to attack the
government infrastructure. It was an open rebellion against the British Raj.
Chimur, a
small town of 5,000, in Nagpur, Maharashtra, emerged as a flag bearer of the
movement. On 16 August, all the Hindus and Muslims came together and burnt down
all the government buildings. In a pitched war with police they killed SDM,
Naib Tahsildar, Circle Inspector and a constable.
In order to
teach a lesson to the patriots, three companies of Green Howards consisting of
around 100 English soldiers were sent to the town along with companies of the
Mahar regiment. For almost one month nobody was allowed to visit the town and
the English soldiers reigned with terror in such a fashion which would put
Genghis Khan to shame.
Hindu
Mahasabha leaders B. S. Moonje and M. N. Ghatate visited the town on 26
September after the restrictions were lifted. In a letter to the Governor, the
C. P & Berar, they observed that the British soldiers had raped women, looted
houses and violently abused men. They met several rape victims in Chimur with
the help of an old lady, Mrs. Begde. The letter stated, “she (Mrs. Begde) then
sent for and collected several women of the town who, with feelings of shame
and outraged dignity, narrated their separate tales of molestations and actual
rapes. Seventeen women in all narrated their own stories; out of 17, 13 were
actually raped, some by more than one white soldier, and the rest four were
only molested. These women in great agony of mind gave expressions to their
desire of revenge to be taken by their menfolk, if God the Almighty willed
so."
URL: https://newageislam.com/multimedia/britisher-rape-women-nagpur-maharashtra/d/129387
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