Chauri Chaura - History

History

Chauri Chaura (Pargana: Haveli, Tehsil: Gorakhpur)

Chauri Chaura is situated at 26°38′N 83°35′E / 26.63333°N 83.58333°E / 26.63333; 83.58333 on the State Highway between Gorakhpur and Deoria, 30.5 kilometres (19.0 mi). from Gorakhpur. It has a railway station which is 25 km. south-east of the Gorakhpur railway junction. Prior to abolition of zamindari the village was held by Sikh zamindars of Dumri (Gagaha), who established a bazar near the railway station and made the place a local commercial centre of hide trade. Adjoining Chauri Chaura on the north is Murear (Mundera) Bazar, another flourishing market.

Chauri Chaura came into prominence in 1922 when its inhabitants whole-heartedly participated in the Non-co-operation movement started by Gandhi.

In February 1922 on hearing that the sub inspector of Chauri Chaura police-station had assaulted some of the Congress volunteers at Murera (Mundera) Bazar, an infuriated mob assembled before the police-station Chauri Chaura in February 5,1922 demanding explanation from the guilty official. It ultimately resulted in police firing killing 26 persons. After the police had exhausted their ammunition and went inside the police-station, the enraged crowd challenged the policemen to come out of their den and on their paying no heed, it set fire to the thana in which 21 policemen and a sub-inspector were burnt alive. Consequently, Gandhiji suspended the Non-co-operation movement. The people of the district did not forget their freedom fighters. In 1971, they formed Chauri Chaura Shaheed Smarak Samiti. In 1973, this Samiti constructed near the lake at Chauri Chaura a 12.2 metres high triangular minaret on each side of which a martyr is depicted hanging with a noose round his neck. The minaret was built at a cost of Rs 13,500 generously contributed by the people.

Chauri Chaura falls in the Sardarnagar development block. It possesses a maternity and child welfare sub-centre, an allopathic hospital, a degree college two intermediate colleges, a higher secondary school for girls and a primary school for both boys and girls. The small scale industry of the place includes the manufacture of agricultural implements and re-rollers. It has a famous gur and dal mandi. It has a population of 2,096 spread over an area of 3.89 sq.km.