Samipya 1991 Vol 08 Ank 01 02

Author(s): Pravinchandra C Parikh, Bhartiben Shelat
Publisher: Bholabhai Jeshingbhai Adhyayan Sanshodhan Vidyabhavan

Page 74

people and many of them were arrested. 39 The Bar Association of Wadhwan held a private meeting and in consultaion with the local agitators decided to settle pending cases by compromise and settle all new civil suits by arbitration. Karimkhan of Vithalgarh Taluka also rendered much assistance in this movement.40
Few of the younger leaders went undergound and tried to sabotage the essential services in the state. They concentrated to destructive activities like
removing of fisa-plates of railways, cutting off telephone wires and bombarding bridges and culverts. One 18 year old boy Nandlal T. Shah had thrown a bomb on the railway bridge at Wadhwan.41 Similarly in Junagadh state, the Premier state of Saurashtra, Shri Kanak Desai had thrown burning pieces of cloth in an ord'nance factory from an open window and the factory caught fire with an explosion.42 The railway police inspector of Rajkot had sent a telegram to the Manager of Bhavnagar State Railway on 26-11-42, “Sabotage expected between Dhola and Ningala to-night. Please make arrangement to watch bridges and culverts."'43
A goods train was derailed between Lakhtar and Bala Road station. But the sabotage of the mixed passenger train near Lalpur railway station was the most outstanding event in this movement. About 10 persons including underground workers Chandrashanker Bhatt, Gunvant Purohit and Jashwant Mehta, pulled the alarm chain in night of a mixed passenger train coming from Mehsana, the vacuum brake was nullified and insured parcels valued about Rs. 25,000-00 were snatched away from the postal van. This preplanned incident was complete within 20 minutes.44 After these events Gunvantrai Purohit (25) and Jasubhai Mehta (20) went to Varanasi and ioined Kashi Vidyapith for study. All the ten young agitators were of 18 to 25 years of age. These two young men had also threatened a postal carrier between Dhola and Umraja in Bhavnagar State and had snatched the postal bag from him. 45
The leaders of Amreli area under the Baroda state were also active in this movement. They toured the villages and arranged for Mashal procession, flag procession, Gram-kooch etc. Maganlal Koradia was encouraging people at Varsada and Mota Ankadia but he was arrested. Dr. Hariprasad had planned Gram-kooch of Jalia, Sanosaia, Dholerava, Kamigadh ets. He was also arrested. These arrests and Kooch had spread a sense of national awakening in the rural people. The younger students formed "Vandar-Sena" (Monkey troops ). Vandar Sena arranged gramkooch and collected people and explained them about this movement. A public meeting was held on 15-10-42 at Amreli and many leaders like Jagubhai K. Sanghvi. G. P. Vyas, J. P. Gandhi were arrested under Defence of India rules. Pamphlets like Azad Patrika Kranti' etc. were cyclostyled on the walls in night hours. Samarth Vyayam Mandir of Amreli was the centre of the nationalist workers. Its organiser was Keshavlal J. Joshi. On 17-1-43 the furniture of the Hight School was burnt. It was the day of Moharrum and police was busy with it. Chily powder was
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[{Sāmipya : April, '91-March, 1992