Ram Dev Singh Gill
From Jatland Wiki
Ram Dev Singh Gill (रामदेवसिंह गिल) (1922-1952) was born on vikram samvat 1979 in Kartik month at Gill ki Dhani village in Udaipurwati in Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan. He was eldest son of Shri Mukunda Ram Gill. He was married to Smt. Foolidevi, daughter of Shri Ladu Ram of village Ranasar.
He got his primary education at village school and then at Dhamora and Gudha Gaudji. Later he was appointed as a teacher. He was a brave person fromthe childhood itself. He joined the freedom movement and left his job. He started movements for Jagiri abolition under the leadership of Sardar Har Lal Singh. He made Vidyarthi Bhawan, Jhunjhunu as his centre of activity and became private secretary of Har Lal Singh.
Gill ki Dhani village became the centre of movement in entire Udaipurwati region. They motivated farmers against the Jagirdars so as not to pay the excessive taxes. The farmer-Jagirdar movement became aggressive and Ram Dev Singh was arrested many times.
Udaipurwati in Jhunjhunu district was a stronghold of Jagirdars so Ram Dev Singh decided to hold a conference of farmers in 1949 in Udaipurwati itself and it was a grand success. Later he held a meeting of farmers in Gudhagaurji village in presence of then home minister Chaudhary Kumbha Ram Arya and the Law minister Natottam Joshi, who were on tour of this area. The armed Jagirdars attacked the meeting place in which many people were wounded and both ministers were also injured.
He was arrested during his service as teacher in village Kudan. The school building of Kudan village was being vacated by the Jagirdars and he refused to vacate it as it was not the property of Jagirdars. At last the he won and building remained the property of School.
He had a very high place in the district politics of Jhunjhunu. He remained president of Udaupurwati Congress Party and member of district Congress and district board. He played important role in the cooperative movement.
Shot dead by jagirdars
Ram Dev Singh was shot dead on 13 May 1952 along with Karni Ram by the Jagirdars at village Chanwara (चंवरा) when both Karni Ram and Ramdev Singh were sleeping after taking part in farmers movement against jagirdars. Jagirdars treated both of them as their biggest enemies. The news of murder of both leaders spread like forest fire and thousands of farmers gathered at the spot. They were all very agitated against the Jagirdars. Sardar Har Lal Singh, Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya rushed to the spot from jaipur accompanied with I G Police, to pacify the mob. The dead bodies of both martyrs were brought to Jhunjhunu and last rites performed on 14 May 1952 at "Vidyarthi Bhawan Jhunjhunu".[1]
References
- ↑ Dr Pema Ram:Shekhawati Kisan Andolan Ka Itihas (शेखावाटी किसान आन्दोलन का इतिहास), Sri Ganesh Sewa Samiti, Jasnagar, District Nagaur - 341518, First Edition 1990, p. 220
- Dr Mahendra Singh Arya, Dharmpal Singh Dudee, Kishan Singh Faujdar & Vijendra Singh Narwar: Ādhunik Jat Itihasa (The modern history of Jats), Agra 1998
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