Read the following statements and mark the correct option:
Assertion (A): Matangini Hazra died while participating in a Salt March in Odisha.
Reason (R): She was shot by police while holding the national flag during the Quit India Movement.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Answer: A is false, but R is true.
Explanation:
Matangini Hazra, known as 'Gandhi Buri' (The Old Lady Gandhi), was a renowned revolutionary from Bengal. Statement (A) is false because she did not die in Odisha; rather, her death occurred in Tamluk, located in the Medinipur district of West Bengal. Although she had participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement (Salt Satyagraha), the incident of her martyrdom is associated with the Quit India Movement. Reason (R) is true, as on September 29, 1942, while she was leading a protest march toward the Tamluk police station, the police opened fire on her. Holding the national flag in her hands and chanting 'Vande Mataram,' she attained martyrdom. She did not let the Tricolor fall until her very last breath.
Additional Points:
Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar: Matangini Hazra's martyrdom inspired the local people to establish a parallel government in Tamluk.
Honors: In 1977, the first statue of Matangini Hazra was installed in Kolkata; notably, this was the first statue of a woman to be erected in independent India.
Salt March (Dandi March): This was organized by Gandhiji from Sabarmati to Dandi in 1930, not in 1942.
Potential Exam Questions and Answers:
Question: Who is famous by the name 'Gandhi Buri'?
Answer: Matangini Hazra.
Question: What was the name of the parallel government formed in Tamluk (Bengal) during the Quit India Movement?
Answer: Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar.