Bathini Mogilaiah Goud, a hero who remains unsung

WARANGAL: Bathini Mogilaiah Goud who fought Razakars is confined to oblivion in Telangana. When Express spoke to some senior citizens in Fort Warangal, they recalled his bravery.A 71- year-old N Mallaiah recalled imposition of tax on toddy tappers by the Nizam government in Fort Warangal. The punishment imposed on those who did not pay the tax was extremely cruel, he said.

Mogiliah Goud, who hailed from the toddy tappers’ community, joined forces with the leaders of the Congress and Arya Samaj in defying the Nizam rule and Razakars.He played a key role in uniting people in the fight for liberation of Telangana from the Nizam rule. He was the only person who hoisted the Tricolour at Fort Warangal, in spite of savage punishment it attracted from the Nizam government. Angered by his defiance, about 200 armed soldiers of the Nizam surrounded his house where his wife Lachamma and his mother were trapped on 11 August, 1946, recalled Mallaiah.

CVoming to know about this, he rushed to his house and entered it through the back-door. Armed with a sword, the intrepid Mogilaiah attacked the Nizam’s soldiers led by Kasim Sharif. But he went down fighting the well-armed soldiers Fort Warangal. He was just 25 when he attained martyrdom.

Mogilaiah Goud also participated in the Andhra Maha Sabha in Warangal that was organised as part of the movement for liberation of Telangana.In recognition of his bravery, in 1954, locals and freedom fighters built a memorial for Mogilaiah in JPN Road, in the heart of Warangal. This building became a gathering place for freedom fighters and political activists to debate various issues facing the society. It lies in a state of neglect now.