Kanaklata Barua, Early Life, Role in Quit India Movement, Legacy

Kanaklata Barua was a young freedom fighter who took part in the Quit India Movement. She is remembered as a brave martyr. At the age of 17, she was shot by British police while leading a procession with the national flag.

Kanaklata Barua Early Life 

Kanaklata Barua was born in 1924 in Borangabari village of the undivided Darrang district of Assam. She belonged to a humble farming family. She lost her mother, Korneshwari Barua, at the age of five and her father, Krishna Kanta Barua, at thirteen. After becoming an orphan, she had to take care of her younger siblings, and because of these responsibilities, she left school after the third grade.

Kanaklata Barua Role in Quit India Movement 

• Kanaklata Barua developed a strong sense of nationalism influenced by the Gandhian movement and local freedom fighters. From a young age, she became actively involved in Congress-led activities and village-level nationalist mobilisation.
• During the Quit India Movement Barua joined the Mrityu Bahini, a death squad comprising groups of youth from the Gohpur sub-division of Assam.
• At age 17, Kanaklata Barua led a procession of freedom fighters to unfurl the Tricolour at Gohpur police station on September 20, 1942. Despite police warnings, she refused to stop and was shot while holding the flag, becoming one of the youngest martyrs.

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Kanaklata Barua Legacy

Kanaklata Barua is known as “Birbala” and was nicknamed the “golden girl” of India’s freedom struggle.

Kanaklata Barua continues to be revered as a national heroine, especially in Assam. She is remembered annually during Martyrs’ Day commemorations in Assam. The Indian Coast Guard vessel, ICGS Kanaklata Barua, was named after her to commemorate her courage.