Shaheed Chapekar Bandhus
Damodar Hari, Balkrishna Hari also called Bapurao and Vasudeo Hari belonged to Chinchwad, then a village, near the former Peshwa capital Pune, in the state of Maharashtra, India.
The Chapekars were from Konkan. The family came to Chinchawad near Pune where the three brothers, Damodar, Balkrishna and Vasudeo, were born in 1870, 1873 and 1879 respectively. The brothers did not receive much formal education, they learnt reading and writing and began helping their father in his Kirtans as they grew.
About the end of 1896 the plague assumed an epidemic form in the Bombay Presidency. The Government of India was asked to pursue strong measures to stamp out the epidemic. A law was passed and special officers were appointed in plague-affected areas to fight the disease. Mr. Rand was posted to the city of Pune in February 1897 and lost no time in starting a campaign to disinfect the affected localities. British soldiers used to implement the programme strictly.
This caused immense harassment to the public when their houses were searched, their family worship-places desecrated, their household goods scattered or destroyed and their womenfolk very roughly handled. The plague officer Rand showed little deference for public opinion and his high-handed conduct came in for strong criticism from the local press. The Kesari and other papers asked the people not to suffer quietly the oppression of Rand's rule. The Chapekars could not remain immune to the propaganda. In revenge they determined to kill Rand, the chief source of all the harassment. They procured weapons and watched Rand's movements for a few days. On 22nd June 1897 there were celebrations at the Government House in Ganesh Khind on account of the Queen's diamond jubilee. As Rand's carriage came out of the Government House at midnight, Damodar jumped on the back seat and fired his gun at Rand at point-blank range. The officer collapsed immediately, as also Lt. Ayerst who was in the carriage in front and whom Damodar's brother Balkrishna fired upon. In October, the police, working on information received from one Dravid, arrested Damodar in Bombay. They put him on trial in February 1898. The sentence of death was confirmed by the High Court and Damodar died on the gallows on 18th April 1898. Balkrishna was traced later and found guilty and was hanged on 12th May 1899.
In the meanwhile the third brother Vasudeo came to know of the treachery of Dravid and gunned him in the evening of 9th February 1899. After a short trial he was sentenced to death and was hanged on 8th May. All the three brothers felt they were dying for a lofty cause and showed no signs of fear or remorse when mounting the gallows. 18th April is Damodar Chapekar Balidan day.
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