Baliapal: Renowned freedom fighter Niranjan Mohapatra from Baliapal area in Balasore district breathed his last Saturday morning. He was 86.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik among several other dignitaries offered their condolences following the demise of the octogenarian freedom fighter.
Born to Khitish Chandra Mohapatra and Munima Devi at Bolang village, Niranjan was deeply moved by the call of Mahatma Gandhi. He dropped out of Class V even though his parents were insisting on continuation of his education. Mohapatra plunged into the freedom movement by joining ‘Banara Sena’ – a group of aggressive nationalist children.
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“India became independent from the British yoke. All hoped socialism will prevail; there will be no discrimination between the haves and have-nots, no regional disparities, economic equality will be ensured, no appeasement politics, no communalism, no alcoholism and no corruption. However, all such dreams are yet to be fulfilled. We are far away from the prime goal of freedom,” the freedom fighter had earlier said to OrissaPost during an exclusive interview in August, 2018.
Mohapatra had taken part in the Quit India Movement of 1942 and moved from village to village propagating the Swadeshi Movement. He had also persuaded people not to pay revenue to landlords, give up British-made clothes and use indigenously woven Khadi clothes.
PNN
