List of Indian independence activists

This is a list of individuals who campaigned against or are considered to have campaigned against colonial rule on the Indian sub-continent.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by individuals and organizations from a wide spectrum of philosophies to obtain political independence from British, French and Portuguese rule through the use of a variety of methods.

Post-Independence, "Freedom fighter" is an officially recognised category by the Indian government covering those who took part in the movement; people in this category (can also include dependant family members)[1] get pensions and other benefits like special railway counters.[2]

List of Indian freedom fighters
NameBirthDeathActivity
Maveeran Alagumuthu Kone17281759 He was defeated by British with the help of Maruthanayagam's forces in 1759[3][4] He was the first fighter to raise sword against british colonials.[5]
Puli Thevar17151767Ruled Nerkattumsevval in Tirunelveli. Defeated the British and nawab of Arcot forces and executed in 1755.[3] He is the first Indian "Freedom Fighter"
Velu Nachiyar 17301796She was the first queen to fight against the British colonial power in India.[3][6] Her commander Kuyili was the first female suicide bomber.[6][7][8][9][10]
Maruthu Pandiyar 17481801Maruthu Brothers mastered in aerodynamics and invented many variants of spears and Valari.[3] They were the first to issue proclamation against the British.[11]
Dheeran Chinnamalai 17561805Chinnamalai engaged in guerrilla warfare and defeated the British in battles at Cauvery in 1801, Odanilai in 1802, and Arachalur in 1804. Dheeran Chinnamalai Gounder was betrayed by his cook Nallapan and was captured by the British sepoys in 1805. He was hanged at Sankagiri Fort along with his two brothers on 31 July 1805 on the day of Aadi Perukku.
Jayi Rajaguru17391806He was a prominent figure of the Indian independence movement in the state of Odisha.
Pazhassi Raja 1753
1805Used guerrilla warfare to fight British in Cotiote War (Kottayathu war) across a span of thirteen years from 1793 to 1806 to preserve the independence and unity of his kingdom and was killed in 1805 in a gunfight at Mavila Thodu in the present-day Kerala-Karnataka border.
Veerapandiya Kattabomman 17601799He refused to accept the sovereignty of the British East India Company; the British waged a war against them.[3]
Babu Kunwar Singh17771858He was a Singh military commander in the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Kittur Chennamma17781829Was an Indian freedom fighter and Rani of the Kittur, a former princely state in Karnataka. She led an armed force against the British East India Company in 1824 in defiance of the doctrine of lapse in an attempt to maintain Indian control over the region, but was defeated in the third war and died imprisoned.
Titumir 1782 1831 Was a freedom fighter who led a campaign against the British-rule in India, during the 19th century. He eventually built a bamboo fort (Basher Kella in Bengali) in Narikelberia village, which passed into Bengali folk legend. After the storming of the fort by British soldiers, Titumir died of his wounds on 19 November 1831.
Sangolli Rayanna17981831Was an Indian military chief warrior from Karnataka. He was the army chief of the Kingdom of Kittur ruled at the time by Rani Chennamma and fought the British East India Company till his death.
Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy18051847In 1846, he led an uprising in Andhra Pradesh. He was executed by the British by hanging.[12]
Ahmadullah Shah17871857Leader of various battles for freedom like Battle of Chinhat, Siege of Lucknow, Capture of Lucknow, Chapati Movement.
Mangal Pandey18271857Early martyr of Indian rebellion. Pandey was a soldier of the British Indian army, but rebelled against it. He was executed on 8 April 1857 in Barrackpore.
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai18721936He launched the first indigenous Indian shipping service between Tuticorin and Colombo with the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, competing against British ships.[13]
Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar 1908 1963 Freedom Fighter, Arrested and Jailed for long term from Tamilnadu by Britishers. Close Aid of Netaji. Thilak and Thevar are the 2 leaders at country level controlled on a very Stringent Law by britishers.
Seth Harchandrai Vishandas 1862 1928 Sindhi politician and influential mayor of Karachi who fought for Muslim-Hindu unity and the Indian independence movement, particularly in opposing the Simon Commission of 1912, its boycott vote for which he died.
Vallabhbhai Patel 1875 1950 Founding father of Republic of India who played leading role in the country's struggle towards independence and integration of united India.
B. R. Ambedkar 1891 1956 Founding father of Republic of India and the architect of the Indian Constitution who played role in the country's struggle towards independence.
Subramania Bharati18821921Wrote many fiery songs kindling patriotism and nationalism during Indian independence movement.
Alluri Sitarama Raju18971924Leader of the Rampa Rebellion of 1922.
Inayatullah Khan Mashriqi18881963Founder of the Khaksar Movement in British India
Bhagat Singh19071931Worked with several revolutionary organisations and became prominent in the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA).
Aruna Asaf Ali19091996She is widely remembered for hoisting the Indian National Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay during the Quit India Movement, 1942.
rambilas Gajanand Sharma19131977He is widely remembered for participation in Civil disobedience, being imprisoned in Khetri Jail. He was released after undergoing the punishment of five kodo ki mar in Rajasthan.

[14]

Shambhu Dutt Sharma19182016Joined Quit India Movement in 1942. Hon. General Secretary of GSB (Gandhian Satyagraha Brigade). Founder of Transparency International India. Sharma's team was known as Gandhian Seva Brigade.
Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu 18721957Pantulu was an Indian politician and freedom fighter, chief minister of the Madras Presidency, and subsequently became the first chief minister of the new Andhra State, created by the partition of Madras State along linguistic lines. He was also known as Andhra Kesari (Lion of Andhra). The Andhra Pradesh government declared his birth anniversary a state festival.
Khudiram Bose18891908Bose planted bombs near British government officials and police stations. Due to his activities against the British, he was arrested and hanged. At the time of his hanging, he was 18 years, 8 months 8 days old, making him one of the youngest revolutionaries in India.
Chandra Shekhar Azad19061931Azad ("The Free"), was an Indian revolutionary who reorganised the Hindustan Republican Association under its new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) after the death of its founder, Ram Prasad Bismil, and three other prominent party leaders, Roshan Singh, Rajendra Nath Lahiri and Ashfaqulla Khan.
Chittaranjan Das18691925Das founded the Swaraj party in Bengal, and became the leader of the Non-cooperation Movement in Bengal.
Komaram Bheem19011940Bheem was a tribal leader who fought for the liberation of Hyderabad.
Ram Prasad Bismil18971927Kakori conspiracy
Udham Singh18991940involved in the Shooting in Caxton Hall.
Hemu Kalani19231943involved in a sabotage of a railway track.
Ashfaqulla Khan19001927Kakori conspiracy
Sachindra Bakshi19041984Kakori conspiracy
Manmath Nath Gupta19082000Kakori conspiracy
Vasudev Balwant Phadke18451883Deccan Rebellion
Matangini Hazra18701942Active member of Quit India Movement, shot dead by British at the age of 71.
Anant Laxman Kanhere18911910Shooting of British officer Jackson.
Vanchinathan18861911Shooting of British Collector/District Magistrate Robert William Escourt Ashe.
Krishnaji Gopal Karve18871910Shooting of British officer Jackson.
Bagha Jatin18791915The Howrah-Sibpur conspiracy case, Indo-German Conspiracy.
Batukeshwar Dutt19101965Central Assembly Bomb Case 1929.
Sukhdev Thapar19071931Central Assembly Bomb Case 1929
Shivaram Rajguru19081931Associate of Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev Thapar in Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. Involved in assassination of a British police officer J. P. Saunders.
Roshan Singh18921927Kakori conspiracy, Bamrauli Action
Prabhavati Devi19061973Gandhian leader. Wife of activist Jayaprakash Narayan.
Pritilata Waddedar19111932Pahartali European Club attack
Jatindra Nath Das19041929Hunger strike and Lahore Conspiracy Case
Durgawati Devi19071999Involved in running a bomb factory.
Bhagwati Charan Vohra19041930Known for Philosophy of the Bomb
Madan Lal Dhingra18831909Assassination of Curzon Wyllie.
Alluri Sitarama Raju18971924Rampa Rebellion of 1922
Kushal Konwar19051943Train sabotage at Sarupathar.
Surya Sen18941934President of Indian National Congress Chittagong Branch, mastermind of Chittagong armoury raid.
Ananta Singh19031979Chittagong armoury raid
Ganesh Ghosh19001994Chittagong armoury raid
Sri Aurobindo18721950Alipore bomb case
Rash Behari Bose18861945Indian National Army
Ubaidullah Sindhi18721944Silk Letter Conspiracy
Lokenath Bal19081964Chittagong armoury raid
Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee18951969Kakori conspiracy
Baikuntha Shukla19071934Assassination of Phanindra Nath Ghosh, a British government approver.
Ambika Chakrabarty18921962Chittagong armoury raid
Badal Gupta19121930Attack at Writers' Building
Dinesh Gupta19111931Attack at Writers Building
Benoy Basu19081930Attack at Writers Building
Rajendra Lahiri19011927Kakori conspiracy
Barindra Kumar Ghosh18801959Alipore bomb case
Prafulla Chaki18881908The Muzaffarpur killing.
Ullaskar Dutta18851965Alipore bomb case
Bhupendra Kumar Datta18921979Member of Anushilan Samiti.
Ramesh Chandra Jha19251994Sugauli police station robbery.
Hemchandra Kanungo18711951Alipore bomb case
Surendranath Tagore18721940Involved in the Swadeshi movement in Bengal, in opposition to the 1905 partition of Bengal.
Basawon Singh (Sinha)19091989Lahore conspiracy case
Bhavabhushan Mitra18811970Ghadar Mutiny
Bina Das19111986Attempted to assassinate the Bengal Governor Stanley Jackson.
Kalpana Datta19131995involved in Indian Independence Movement; also part of the Chittagong armoury raid planning.
Kartar Singh Sarabha18961915Most famous accused in the Lahore Conspiracy trial.
Shyamji Krishna Varma18571930Founded the Indian Home Rule Society, India House and The Indian Sociologist in London.
Subhas Chandra Bose18971945Founded the Indian Legion and revamped the Indian National Army.
Binod Bihari Chowdhury19112013Chittagong armoury raid
Bhupendranath Datta18801961Indo-German Conspiracy, member of Anushilan Samiti.
Amarendranath Chatterjee18801957Indo-German Conspiracy
Atulkrishna Ghosh18901966Indo-German Conspiracy
Subodh Roy19162006Chittagong armoury raid, Tebhaga movement
Maulvi Liaquat Ali18121892Captured Khusro Bagh in Allahabad and declared "independence" of India.
Asaf Ali18881953Indian national movement
Rani of Jhansi19 November 1828, Varanasi18 June 1858, GwaliorRani Laxmi Bhai was one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and became a symbol of resistance to the British Raj for Indian nationalists.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi18691948Father of the Nation, he was the preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel18751950popularly known as Sardar Patel, was an Indian politician. He served as the first Deputy Prime Minister of India. He was an Indian barrister, a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and a founding father of the Republic of India who played a leading role in the country's struggle for independence and guided its integration into a united, independent nation.
Jawahar Lal Nehru18891964Founding father of India, an Indian independence activist, and subsequently, the first Prime Minister of India and a central figure in Indian politics before and after Independence.
S. Satyamurti18871943Mayor of Madras, President of the Madras District Congress Party Committee, Advocate of the High Court of Madras, Senior Advocate of the Federal Court of India, Deputy leader of the Congress party, Member of the Indian Legislative Assembly.[15]
Shaukat Ali18731938Maulana, "Shaukat Ali", his brother "Mohammad Ali" and their mother "Bi Amman", played an role in the freedom movement of India against the British Imperialism. These freedom fighters were champions of Hindu–Muslim unity who endorsed the Hindus and the Muslims to fight together in the struggle for India‘s independence. They were arrested and imprisoned from 1921 to 1923 for their support of Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress during the Non-Cooperation Movement (1919–1922).[16]
Sushila Chain Trehan19232011Leading member of Arya Samaj who fought for women's rights.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak18561920Tilak was one of the first and strongest advocates of Swaraj ("self-rule") and a strong radical of Indian consciousness.
Bipin Chandra Pal18581932Member of Swaraj
Lala Lajpat Rai18651928Member of Swaraj
Alekh Patra19231999Member of Congress, sarvodaya, who participated in the freedom movement at the age of 18.
Accamma Cherian19091982popularly known as the Jhansi Rani of Travancore.
Rosamma Punnoose19132013Indian independence activist, politician and lawyer.
Annie Mascarene19021963Indian freedom fighter and Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Titusji19051980one of the 78 marchers selected by Mahatma Gandhi to take part in the 1930 Dandi March.
George Joseph (Kerala)18871938A lawyer and Indian independence activist. One of the earliest and among the most prominent Syrian Christians from Kerala to join the freedom struggle.
T. V. Thomas19101977He was one of the first generation trade union leaders in Kerala and was actively involved in the Indian independence movement.
Madhusudan Das18481934A well-known leader from the Christian community in Odisha, popularly known as "Utkal Gourab". He was the first graduate and advocate of Odisha.
Kali Charan Banerjee18471907A talented orator and representative of Bengali Christian community, he joined the Indian National Congress in 1885, and regularly addressed the Congress annual sessions in moulding the policy of national movement.
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar28 May 188326 February 1966Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, commonly known as 'Swatantryaveer Savarkar' in Marathi language, was an Indian independence activist and politician who formulated the Hindu nationalist philosophy of Hindutva. He was an Indian independence activist.
Bhagat Singh28 September 190723 March 1931Shaheed Bhagat Singh was an Indian socialist revolutionary whose two acts of dramatic violence against the British in India and execution at age 23 made him a folk hero of the Indian independence movement.
Sukhdev Thapar15 May 190723 March 1931Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar was an Indian revolutionary. A senior member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, he participated in several actions alongside Bhagat Singh and Shivaram Rajguru, and was hanged by the British authorities on 23 March 1931.
Sarju Prasad Dubey19191997He was a prominent figure of the Indian independence movement in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Shivaram Rajguru24 August 190823 March 1931Shaheed Shivaram Hari Rajguru was an Indian revolutionary from Maharashtra, known mainly for his involvement in the assassination of a British Raj police officer.He also fought for the independence of India.

References
  1. PTI (18 August 2016). "Pension of freedom fighters hiked by Rs 5,000". The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  2. Lisa Mitchell (2009). Language, Emotion, and Politics in South India: The Making of a Mother Tongue. Indiana University Press. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-253-35301-6.
  3. Kumar, Madhan (2017). Thamizh Is Not Just A Language: The Valour. Educreation Publishing.
  4. Gomathinayagam, Piramanayagam (1989). The role of Tamil poets in freedom struggle. Mukil Pathippagam.
  5. Kumar, Madhan (11 July 2017). Thamizh Is Not Just A Language: The Valour. Educreation Publishing.
  6. "Velu Nachiyar & Kuyili: The Women Who Took Down The British 85 Yrs Before 1857!". The Better India. 28 August 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  7. "First Woman Suicide Bomber of India against British during Freedom Struggle". myIndiamyGlory. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  8. Sinha, Manoshi (13 August 2016). "FIVE Unsung Women Martyrs of Indian Freedom Struggle". myIndiamyGlory. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  9. "வியூகங்களால் வென்றவள்". www.dinakaran.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  10. Basu, Soma (25 July 2013). "Of valour and victory". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  11. "The Story of Maruthu Brothers! The Leaders Of South Indian Rebellion Against The British East India Company Who Were The First To Issue Declaration Of Independence!". Post Card News: Breaking News, Exclusive Stories, History, Spirituality, Political Analysis, Economics, Nationalism, Culture, Opinion, India and World News, Indian Armed Force. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  12. Ramachandran, D. P. (2008). Empire's First Soldiers. Lancer Publishers. p. 121. ISBN 9780979617478.
  13. Duraichi, Paul (5 September 2019). "Parturition of V.O.Chidambaram Pillai Steam Navigation Company in Indian Freedom Struggle Movement". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. SandeepSharma (2016). Headmasterji:The man with literacy mission. Partridge India Publishing. p. 230. ISBN 9781482857641.
  15. "S, SATYAMURTI; Indian Political Leader, 56, Long Active in Civil Disobedience". The New York Times. 28 March 1943. (subscription required)
  16. Brief History of Shaukat Ali,,


  1. Freedom Fighters of India: Backbone of Our Independence
  2. Indian Freedom Fighters - List & Brief Bio of Freedom Activists
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