Savarkar not India’s longest-jailed freedom fighter: G S Pradeep

Kozhikode: Grandmaster G.S. Pradeep has challenged the widely held perception that Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was India’s longest-jailed freedom fighter, asserting that Traillokya Nath Chakravarty spent more than 30 years behind bars during the freedom struggle.

Pradeep asserted while leading the ‘Madhyamam Freedom Quiz’ grand finale in Kozhikode. The distinction formed the final question of the competition, with Shihad Shiju of Thottakkonam GHSS, Pathanamthitta, giving the correct answer and emerging as the grand finale champion.

According to Pradeep’s account, British authorities offered Chakravarty an opportunity to secure his release by submitting a mercy petition. He refused the offer despite being approached three times, choosing to remain committed to the nationalist cause rather than seek an early release.

Known as ‘Maharaj’ for his intellectual stature rather than any royal title, Chakravarty was involved in the Indian freedom movement for decades. He was associated first with the Hindustan Republican Socialist Army (HRSA) and later with the Indian National Congress, taking part in movements including the Quit India struggle. His prolonged imprisonment, Pradeep said, makes him the freedom fighter who spent the longest period in jail in India’s history.

Pradeep contrasted this record with Savarkar’s imprisonment. Savarkar had been sentenced to 27 years but was released after submitting mercy petitions on three occasions, resulting in about 14 years of actual imprisonment.

Pradeep stressed that correcting historical misconceptions is crucial, particularly because inaccurate information can be passed down from one generation to the next. He urged the audience to recognise Chakravarty’s contribution and his refusal to compromise his nationalist convictions in order to secure his freedom from prison.