The Paika Bidroh was the first freedom struggle which started under the leadership of Jayi Rajaguru in 1804, said former State Assembly Speaker and former Culture Minister Sarat Kumar Kar at a workshop on ‘Paika Bidroh and Saheed Jayi Rajguru’ held here on Tuesday.
This observation is contrary to Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout’s recent repeated contention that the Paika Bidroh had begun in 1817 and Jayi Rajaguru was not a freedom fighter, who spearheaded the rebellion.
In the programme organsied by the Saheed Jayi Rajaguru Smruti Parishad, Kar said Rajguru had united the Paikas to fight against the tyranny of the British rule. By saying that the rebellion was started in 1817, the history of 14 years is being sent to oblivion, said Kar.
He also said an expert committee has been formed to carry out research and revise the history. It is chaired by Prof Narayan Rao.
The committee would submit report to both the State and Central Government to name Rajaguru as a hero and the first martyr of the freedom struggle of India. It would also advise both the Governments to include 1804 as the first freedom struggle in history and school and college text books.
There is also a proposal to request the State Government to name a college, square or a road in name of Jayi Rajaguru in the capital as he is the first martyr of the country.
In the meeting, researchers, historians and other intellectuals admitted that the freedom struggle of the country was started in fact in 1804 and its first martyr is Rajaguru.
Among others, Parishad secretary Jatadhar Mishra, Prasanna Kumar Jena, Ranchandra Mishra, Amulya Kumar Panda, Pradeep Kumar Rath, Himanshu Patnaik, Prafulla Chandra Tripathy, Hemanta Kumar Parija and Sarpeswar Das were present.