Alluri Sitarama Raju, Indian activist (b. 1897/1898)

Alluri Sitarama Raju (4 July 1897 – 7 May 1924) was an Indian Telugu revolutionary who waged an armed campaign against British colonial rule in India. Born in the Madras Presidency, Alluri became involved in anti-British activities in response to the 1882 Madras Forest Act, which effectively restricted the free movement of Adivasis (tribal communities) in their forest habitats and prevented them from practicing a traditional form of agriculture known as podu. Rising discontent towards the British led to the Rampa Rebellion of 1922, in which Alluri played a major part as a leader. Mustering a force combined of Adivasis, farmers and sympathizers to their cause, Alluri engaged in guerilla campaigns against the British colonial authorities in the border regions of the Madras Presidency (now part of the districts of East Godavari and Visakhapatnam). Alluri was nicknamed "Manyam Veerudu" (transl. Hero of the Jungle)

by local villagers for his heroic exploits.Harnessing widespread discontent towards British colonial rule in the backdrop of the non-cooperation movement, Alluri led his forces against the British, aiming to expel them from the Eastern Ghats region through his guerilla campaigns. During this period, Alluri led numerous raids on local police stations to acquire firearms for his under-equipped forces. After each raid, Alluri would leave behind a letter written by him, informing the police about the details of his raids, including about the weaponry he parted away with, daring them to stop him if they can. Police stations in and around the areas of Annavaram, Addateegala, Chintapalle, Dammanapalli, Krishna Devi Peta, Rampachodavaram, Rajavommangi, and Narsipatnam were all targeted by his forces in raids which also saw significant police casualties. In response to these raids, and in order to quench the rebellion, the British colonial authorities undertook a nearly two-year long manhunt for Alluri, resulting in expenditures reaching over ₹40 Lakh rupees then. Eventually, in 1924, Alluri was trapped by the British at the village of Koyyuru in the Chintapalle forests. There, he was captured, tied to a tree and summarily executed by a firing squad. His tomb currently lies in the village of Krishnadevipeta.