HYDERABAD: As the country celebrates 75 years of Independence, centenarian freedom fighter Etykuri Krishnamurthy laments the practice of politicians encouraging dissonance among religions. Krishnamurthy, who turned 100 on April 9 this year, said that political parties sowing seeds of religious dissensions is the most disheartening aspect the independent India has been witnessing in the last 75 years.
“During the struggle for independence, all the people in the country, irrespective of their religion, party or ideology, fought unitedly. But now you see people are divided along caste and religious lines. It is unfortunate that political parties are encouraging this divide,” he said.
A Krishnamurthy, who at the age of 14 was drawn towards the communist ideology after participating in a programme organised to mark the death anniversary of Bhagat Singh, said: “When Hitler attacked the Soviet Union during the second World War, we changed our policy. Until then, we were fighting against the Britishers.”
The realisation that “Hitler’s victory would push us into more slavery”, made him join the British Army in 1942. Further, the death of Chandrashekhar Azad ignited anger in him. The first time he went to jail was in 1943 for taking part in a protest against the arrival of the Governor of Madras in Guntur.
In 1946 when the Royal Indian Navy mutiny broke out, Krishnamurthy and three of his companions mobilised 400 soldiers, printed pamphlets and held demonstrations in solidarity. “The Britishers arrested four of us and kept us in Lahore jail for eight months,” he said.
Krishnamurthy, who went on to serve as a clerk in the Revenue Department after Independence, said: “We were treated respectfully by other Indian soldiers in the jail. Reading newspapers and discussing what more can be done for the country was our only routine during that period.”