British believed to have ‘killed’ freedom fighter’s disciple
Bendapudi Swamy with bow and arrows like freedom fighter, Alluri Seetharama Raju
Visakhapatnam: Like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in West Bengal, in AP, too, it is believed that Alluri Seetharama Raju, who also fought the British –– with the help of local tribals in Vizag Agency – had not died as was recorded in history. Some believe that it was a case of mistaken identity by the British officers who actually killed Upparapally Veera Venkata Chari, a follower of Seethrama Raju. There is now a growing demand that DNA tests be conducted to see if tooth and hair samples of a sadhu matches with the family members, or descendants, of Alluri Seetha-rama Raju.
It is believed that Raju resurfaced as a swami — Sri Paramahamsa Chidhvenkata Rama Brahmananda Maha-rishi — in Bendapudi in East Godavari. A. Naga Simhadri, a human genetics student at a private college in Vizag, affiliated to the Andhra University, is now seeking the government’s intervention and support in unraveling the mystery, if any, behind his death.
“I visited Bendapudi Ashram in 2006 and was fascinated by the locals’ theory that the sadhu was none other than the freedom fighter. Since then I have been trying to collect details to unravel the truth,” Simhadri said. Acting on Simhadri’s plea, recently the Annavaram police, on the directions of the state government, visited Bendapudi, 4 km from the temple town Annavaram, to collect details on the issue. The Annavaram police has also sought legal opinion on how to go about collecting the samples to be sent to CCMB for DNA tests.
Followers, historians differ over fighter:
Bendapudi Sadhu’s followers believe Alluri Seetharama Raju died in 1968. “We believe he was Alluri Seetharama Raju. We don’t know why he lived as Bendapudi Sadhu without revealing his identity,” one of the sadhu’s followers and also his family member, A. Varalakshmi, said.
However, historians are not ready to believe this. “As per records, Raju was caught, tied to a tree and killed by the British. His body was exhibited in nearby villages to send a strong message to the locals about the consequences of rebelling against the British,” said noted historian Prof. Kolluru Suryanarayana.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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