Tara Rani Srivastava and Quit India Movement

Tara Rani Srivastava was a prominent freedom fighter and anti-colonial revolutionary from Bihar who played an extraordinary role in the Quit India Movement of 1942. Born into a modest family in Saran district near Patna, she dedicated her early life to Mahatma Gandhi’s call for civil disobedience and non-violent resistance. She is best remembered for leading a massive protest march toward the Siwan Police Station while holding the Indian national flag high, even after her husband was mortally wounded by British police firing during the procession.

Early Life and Political Awakening

Tara Rani Srivastava was born in Saran district, Bihar. At a young age, she married Phulendu Babu, a freedom fighter who was actively involved in local anti-British demonstrations and Gandhian constructive programs.

• Youth Mobilization: Together with her husband, Srivastava organized public meetings, village-level rallies, and protest marches in and around Saran and Siwan districts.
• Women’s Involvement: She persuaded local rural women to come out of domestic seclusion to join picketing drives against foreign cloth vendors and liquor shops.
• Gandhian Ideology: Her work centered on promoting Khadi, spreading local political awareness, and encouraging non-violent non-cooperation against colonial tax levies.

Role in the Quit India Movement (1942)

When the All India Congress Committee passed the Quit India Resolution on August 8, 1942, state-wide agitations broke out across Bihar. Srivastava and her husband organized local groups to launch a campaign aiming to hoist the Indian National Congress flag atop government structures.

The March to Siwan Police Station

In August 1942, Srivastava and Phulendu Babu organized a mass rally to storm and hoist the tricolor on the Siwan Police Station, a symbol of colonial authority in the district.

• Police Crackdown: As the crowd approached the police station, British forces opened fire to disperse the demonstrators.
• Phulendu Babu Shot: Phulendu Babu was struck by bullets in the front row of the march and collapsed to the ground, critically injured.
• Defiance Under Fire: Srivastava immediately tore a strip of cloth from her sari, bandaged her husband’s wounds, and instructed the surrounding crowd to press forward without stopping.
• Hoisting the Flag: She continued leading the procession, reached the police station building, and successfully hoisted the flag on its premises while facing armed police personnel.

Tragedy and Continued Underground Resistance

Upon returning to her husband after the protest concluded, Srivastava found that he had succumbed to his injuries. Despite the personal tragedy, she remained active in the freedom struggle. She joined underground networks, distributed revolutionary literature, organized relief for families of political prisoners, and evaded colonial police warrants until the movement subsided in 1944.

Women’s Mass Resistance in Bihar During 1942 Movement

The Quit India Movement witnessed widespread participation of women across Bihar who led marches, established secret communication channels, and faced direct police action.

Facts for Quick Revision

• Birthplace: Saran district, Bihar.
• Key Movement: Quit India Movement (1942).
• Primary Historic Event: Led the march on Siwan Police Station and hoisted the Indian national flag despite her husband being shot.
• Husband: Phulendu Babu, a freedom fighter who was martyred during the 1942 Siwan firing incident.
• Socio-Political Focus: Women’s mobilization, rural outreach, boycott of foreign goods, and Gandhian non-violent agitations.