SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Aug 10: Even though India is celebrating the 75th Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, an unsung 94-years-old freedom fighter Sachi Pado Saha feels ashamed to be alive after independence as a registered refugee.
Saha jumped into the freedom struggle as a volunteer of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in 1940 after leaving school, Zamindari, house, family life and his village for the sake of movement. But in return, he merely got a certificate of a registered refugee from the Government of India.
After the exodus to Dhanbad (India) in 1945-46 from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in wake of communal tension, neither Bengal nor Bihar governments took cognizance of his sacrifice as a freedom fighter. Since he had come from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), he had no approach to Culcutta and Patna to get any benefit for the freedom fighters.
“Jharkhand government of course remembers me whenever an election comes by sending a team at my residence for voting,” he said.
Sachi Pado Saha, the last alive freedom fighter in Dhanbad, is living in Master Para locality under Hirapur of Dhanbad in seclusion. He is a bachelor. He lost his nephew Swapan Kumar Saha in the Corona pandemic, who used to look after him. Now, his second nephew Govind Saha, a resident of Canada, has kept a caretaker for him. His granddaughter-in-law and granddaughter also take care of him.
Saha jumped into the freedom struggle at the age of 12 years in 1940 when Netaji visited his village Pyarpur under Charmguria district (now in Bangladesh).
The then famous freedom fighters Surendra Mohan Saha, and Nepal Chakraborty formed volunteers for a rally of Netaji in Charamguria. Sachi Pado Saha and his elder brother Shyama Pado Saha were also made volunteers. Since they were Zamindar’s ( landlord’s) sons, other students of the school also joined them.
Netaji addressed rally in Bangla and Hindi
“Freedom feeling got momentum in the minds of people with the rally of Netaji. He came to Charamguria from Madaripur. Since there was a Bihari population in large number in Charamguria due to jute mills, Netaji in his one and half hours speech first spoke in Bangla and later addressed in Hindi,” recalled Sachi Pado Saha.
Saha said it was the last rally of Netaji in the country as, after Charamguria’s visit, he was sent under house arrest and thereafter, he escaped the country.
Sachi Pado Saha and his brothers continued activities for the movement but he had left school in class IX. He was picked by police several times but was let off each time owing to him being a minor as well as a member of the Zamindar family. His ‘Haveli’ was also raided but police found nothing.
When the situation deteriorated in the region due to communal tension, they shifted to Dhanbad in 1946 for the safety of family members. “I regret that no government took cognizance of me,” he said.
Notably, Sachi Pado Saha does not get an old age pension or other cards which can provide him with government benefits.
