Pratisarkar:- A parallel government that threw away the British Raj

8 August 1942 was a watershed moment in Indian freedom struggle, thousands of people stormed Gowalia Tank Stadium for Congress meet. Mahatma Gandhi gave a mantra 'Karenge ya Marenge' i. e. do or die. Later that night Gandhi,Nehru, Patel, Rajendra Prasad and almost entire Congress leadership was put behind the bars. The freedom movement suddenly lost all its leaders and maybe this leaderless situation gave birth to thousands of local leaders who had got a clear message that this is the final battle for freedom and they have to do or die for it.

Protests erupt all over the country after 'Quit India' call

Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi always believed in nonviolence and peaceful demonstrations for demand of freedom. The means were as important as the end in itself but it was about to change a little from this moment . In Ballia, Uttar Pradesh a parallel government was formed under the leadership of Chittu Pandey;  in Bhagalpur, Bihar and Talcher, Orissa also the parallel government was formed. They operated from six months to 2 years until British suppressed the movement but there was one parallel government formed in Satara district of Bombay province that survived the British oppression and did operate until India became free.

Wrestler turned politician turned revolutionary, Nana Patil, popularly known as 'Krantisinh' a 'revolutionary lion' was the leader of 'Pratisarkar', literally meaning parallel government. After Gandhiji's 'quit India' call the initial demonstrations were peaceful in Satara district. A crowd of some 2000 people peacefully gathered outside the Tehsil office of Karad and demanded the Tehsil Incharge to wear a Gandhi cap and unfurled the Tricolour on the tehsil office. In the same way the tricolour was unfurled on Tasgaon Tehsil office on 2 September 1942.

Nana Patil speaking to the villagers

But British government by then had decided to suppress is demonstrations with might and on 8 September 1942 in Islampur and on 9 September 1942 in Vaduj, British police opened fire on the peaceful crowd and 11 revolutionaries were martyred and this angered Nana Patil and his associates who then decided in the meeting in Panumbare, that an underground battle to be opened against the British and vandalize everything that stands for the British rule. And thereby make it difficult for them to rule this country and establishing of our own parallel government. And an armed resistance to the British rule was unanimously agreed upon. The meeting was attended by more than 100 revolutionaries from the district.

Yeshwantrao Chavan, Nagnath Naikwadi, G. D. Lad,  Pandu Master, Vasantdada Patil, Kisanveer, Baburao Charankar were all young and dynamic heroes who took the struggle on their shoulders and remained underground until they were set free by law. 19 groups were formed which bore the name of major regional parts of the district. Yeshwantrao Chavan and Kisanveer were the leaders of the upper part of the district while Vasantdada Patil was the leader of a movement in Sangli (which was a Princely Street). Nana Patil was the leader of all 19 groups. All acts of sabotage and vandalism were to be carried out in the name of Nana Patil. Kundal and Walwa groups led by Nagnath Naikwadi and G D Lad respectively were the most active groups.

In initial attacks on the British the Telegraph wires of the entire district were disconnected in a single day. The railway tracks were sabotaged (especially done before arrival of a freight train to avoid human losses in passenger trains) Many railway stations from Sangali to Pune were torched. Nagnath Naikwadi with G. D. Lad and 11 others looted the pay special train on June 7, 1943 near Shenoli in Satara district. The duo attacked many police stations and small outposts and looted the guns which were required for the struggle. Later they found a way out and smuggled guns from Portuguese territory of Goa. Freedom fighters from Satara district looted the British Treasury fund in Dhule with the help of Uttam Rao Patil and other local freedom fighters from the region.

'Pratiisarkar' was so popular and powerful by 1944 that police feared feared to meddle in the activities of Pratisarkar. Traitors, police informers were brutally punished in a special way of 'Smacking Patri' in which a man would be hanged on his feet on a stick and two people would hit on his feet continuously by wooden rod until they agreed concede that they will never go against Pratisarkar. Pratisarkar also punished the money lenders who seized lands of poor. Some dacoits were released from jail to disrupt the Pratisarkar's activities but sooner they were taught a lesson,two infamous dacoits were killed in action and since then others decided to stay away from Pratisarkar.

Parallel government did all kinds of activities government from Administration to judiciary to police department. Pratisarkar had 5000 'Toofan Sainiks' for implementation of the rule in 400 to 500 villages of Satara district. Many teachers, lawyers, local tax collectors and other officials resigned from the government bodies as they failed to deliver justice and protect the people. Children woman and elderly everybody helped the freedom fighters in some way or the other. At times they would work as messengers or they would bring food to the underground activists.

Toofan Sena :-An armed wing of Pratisarkar

DSP Gilbert attacked the various villages in the district with 1000 or 2000 policemen at a single time. He used all kinds of atrocities on the villagers for no gain. He never found Nana Patil or his aides. In 1945 after the end of the Second World War an army of 10,000 men was stationed in Satara district for fighting out this lone operating underground parallel government of India and re-establishing the British rule but this also failed miserably without the popular support.
In August 1947 India became free. It was the result of long freedom struggle of 150 years but the quit India movement and the local parallel governments like Satara gave the final blows to the British in India. they made it impossible for British to govern, which ultimately led them to the decision to quit India. So Pratisarkar turned out to be the last nail in the Coffin of British Raj.