Chennai [Tamil Nadu]: The martyrdom day of freedom fighter Veerapandiya Kattabomman is observed today. It was on this day that Veerapandiya Kattabomman was hanged to death on this day in 1799 at Kayatharu, a town in Thoothukudi district. Kattabomman was a polygar who opposed the taxation rules enforced by the British as his domain was suffering from a prolonged drought.
In 1798, he got into a disagreement with the then Tirunelveli Collector Jackson and also got into an altercation between company troops in which the British Deputy Commandant Clarke died. He refused to meet for any inquiry on the issue and the British sent an armed force where he withdrew into the nearby forests but was captured later. He was interrogated for 15 days and sentenced to death. State Governor Rajendra Arlekar offered floral tributes to Kattabomman’s portrait at Lok Bhavan Chennai.
[DD News]