Gorata

Gorata is a place in Bidar district of Karnataka, India. In 1948, the youth of Gorata wanted to hoist the Indian flag. But they were under the tyranny of the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Nizam didn't want to accede the Hyderabad region to India but rather wanted an independent nation for which he had set up a criminal organisation called the Razakars whose duty was to terrorise anyone who spoke about accession to India.

A few villagers mustered courage and hoisted the Indian flag and sang Vande Mataram at Gorata. This flustered the Nizam and he ordered the Razakars to attack the whole village. On 9 May 1948, at around 8:00 AM, their hamlet was encircled by Razakars. They killed and culled everyone they saw. They killed men, women, children, cattle and what not. The whole village was set afire and plundered.

Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, the agent of India to Hyderabad in his book, The End of an Era, describes the massacre. He described that half burnt bodies were found lying in fields and the stench was unbearable. According to Munshi's report over 200 people were killed and loss was estimated at 70 lakhs. Post this report, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel called for police action. The Razakars and Nizam army had surrendered within a couple of days after some police action.

To honour the sacrifice the people of Gorata made, a memorial is set to be built by members of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. Commencement of the construction was initiated on 17 September 2014 which happens to be the liberation day of Hyderabad and its accession to India. The project is set to be finished in an year.

References

Gowda, Muniraju (30 July 2014). "Gorata". Gorata. Retrieved 26 July 2015. 

Gorata Memorial | Tribute to the unsung martyrs