‘Quit British govt services’ appeal to Indians
ALLAHABAD: Upset over the ‘divide and rule’ policy of the British, Indians fighting for their motherland’s freedom often distributed pamphlets urging their fellow countrymen to quit British government services.
Some of these pamphlets, currently in possession of the Regional Archive Office, Allahabad, are testimony to the continuous efforts of the patriots to end the British rule.
One such pamphlet (printed in Hindi), confiscated by the British police around eight decades ago, carried an appeal to all Indians for boycotting different services run by the British so as to hit their economy.
The pamphlet recovered during raids by British police on freedom fighters and attached as evidence in cases lodged against the latter revealed that the Indians fighting for freedom were affected by a section of their own brethren employed in the British police force besides other government services including railways, postal department, army, etc.
According to Regional Archive Officer Amit Agnihotri, the pamphlet recovered by the British police (on June 9, 1932) bears an appeal to all the Indians to make the British-run services collapse by boycotting the same.
“The pamphlets carry the appeal for boycotting the railway and postal services run by British for hitting their economy,” he added.
The message on the pamphlet reads, ‘Indians should not buy tickets of railway or postal department. Indians desiring to travel long distance should do so by road. For replacing the government-run
postal services, Indians should constitute small dispatch units ‘Sangh’ in their villages which would carry letters and parcels from one place to another.’
The text further reads, ‘Once the revenue generation of British government is hit, they would not be able to pay salaries to its army and police force, which will make our brethren working therein quit their jobs and join the freedom struggle,’
The pamphlet published by Indians
waging the war of independence also warned fellow Indians that in case the latter did not boycott the use of government-run services, the same would be damaged by freedom fighters, ultimately leading to damage of life and property of fellow Indians availing the services.
Archive records further reveal several files of cases registered against freedom fighters with posters carrying freedom struggle messages attached as evidence also.