Coup d'État de Yanaon

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The Coup d'État de Yanaon (Coup d'etat of Yanam) was an very important incident which brought profound interest for both India and France when both governments were in an ongoing negotiations in Delhi and Paris, regarding the future of French settlements in India in 1954.

Yanaon was a very dominant pro-French colony of all colonies, with staunch pro-French leaders like Samatam Krouschnaya, Kamichetty Sri Parassourama Varaprassada Rao Naidu, Kamichetty Venougopala Rao Naidou. However, the intervention of Consul General, Sri Kewal Singh and Dadala Raphael Ramanayya has changed everything in Yanam.

Contents

[edit] Interpretation

It was interpreted by different people in different manners throughout the time,

  • It was considered as an act of liberation for pro-merger leaders at that time.
  • An unfortunate but welcome incident by Indian Government.
  • For French, it was an act of treachery by Indian side
  • It was nothing but a capture for some natives of Yanam, who even now prefer French to Indian.

Whatever the interpretation may be, if that incident was keenly analysed then no one can deny the impact of the thoughts on nationalism and need for decolonization that prevailed in the mindset of people in and around 1940 to 1960 throughout the colonial world.

[edit] Causes for Coup d'État

Main article: Causes for Liberation of French colonies in India

The Coup d'État de Yanaon was a part in the liberation and merger of French Establishments of India, and therefore had the same causes as that of the liberation and merger of French colonies into India. The only difference was Yanam was a region with very predominant pro-French mindset which made the intervention of the Indian military necessary.

The immediate cause was the conclusion of Consul General Sri Kewal Singh on the night of 11 April 1954 at the conference at Kandamangalam. The conclusion was that For real liberation of colonies one should attack any of the big four French settlements, since the French authorities are making fun of petty provisional government at Nettapacom. Since Yanam is small in area and population, he requested Monsieur Dadala for a plan for its liberation which ultimately resulted in the Coup d'État de Yanaon.

[edit] Political scenario before the Coup

About 10 December 1953, Consul General R.K.Tandon was transferred and Sri Kewal Singh took his place. He stood behind Monsieur Sellane Naicker and Monsieur Dadala. He was able to detach the pro-French leaders and members of the assembly (Assemblée représentative) from the French camp and took them to New Delhi.

[edit] Edouard Goubert shift

The unification movement gathered momentum under V Subbiah, when the pro-French leader Edouard Goubert switched his loyalty to the pro-merger camp.

[edit] Municipalities for merger

A momentous event in the freedom movement of Pondichéry occurred on 18 March 1954, when the members of the executive council and mayor of Pondichéry and seven adjoining communes proclaimed their decision to merge with Indian Union without a referendum. All the communes in Karikal also followed suit. This decision was to be confirmed by the Representative Assembly.

[edit] Governor's interference

When the French India Socialist Party was preparing to move the merger resolution, the French Governor scuttled it by postponing the session. Provoked by this, the Socialists planned to capture the outlying communes one by one and move to Pondichéry. The Communist Party was also ready to launch a campaign of direct action to merge Pondichéry with India.

[edit] Provisional Government

Accordingly, the leaders of the French India Socialist Party hoisted the Indian National Flag atop the Nettapakkam police station on the last day of March in 1954.Thus, a Provisional Government with Edouard Goubert as the head, was formed in the enclave of Nettapacom. The Indian Armed Reserve was posted round its borders.

[edit] Kandamangalam Conference

In the meanwhile, negotiations were going on between the French Government and Indian Government governments in Delhi and Paris. Sri Kewal Singh met all the leaders of the Provisional Government at a conference in Kandamangalam in the night of 11 April 1954. He explained that the French authorities were making fun of the petty Provisional government of Nettapacom. He suggested that if the leaders wanted real liberation of all settlements they should occupy any of the big four settlements. While dropping Dadala at his home from the meeting, Sri Kewal Singh asked Dadala what he thought of the plan and if he had any ideas. Subsequently, a plan was formed for Dadala to try to liberate Yanam.

[edit] Creation of a pro-merger atmosphere

On 13 April 1954, Dadala arrived in Yanam for working out a possibility of its liberation from the French. On arrival he realised that Yanam is very much dominated by the pro-French atmosphere and hence, there was no living nationalism signs. On 14 April 1954, He proceeded to Kakinada, a border town to Yanam which was coming under East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh State in India. There he met all the district leaders and officials for help and aid. He didn’t find any encouraging response from them.

Likewise, in Yanam, his handful of friends and relatives warned him, that he would be captured and killed if he ventured to start a nationalist agitation there. Everybody in Yanam seemed to have stood four square, behind the French administration. Next day when Monsieur Dadala stepped in to meet some of his followers in Farampeta village, he was ambushed by the French Police. He pulled out his revolver, fired in the air and escaped and over a nearby flood bank and hastily retreated to the Indian territory.

Returning to Kakinada he purchased a large number of Congress flags and started a house to house campaign, requesting students and their leaders to organise a meeting in the town hall grounds. He along with his new nationalistic recruits hired lorries bedecked with congress flags and loads of people, made tours in the streets of Yanam, inviting them to the meetings. Once the meetings were organised, he urged the people to help him in his struggle for liberation of Yanam and incited patriotism in their young minds. Within a few days he was able to create an anti-French atmosphere in all surroundings among some people of Yanam.

Then the French police committed a blunder. They raided some of the villages on Indian territory. Monsieur Dadala sent a telegram to Sri Kewal Singh complaining about the high handedness of the French police. He installed loudspeakers around Yanam town, played patriotic songs and explained to people the reasons for merger with India. Inside Yanam, the pro-French leaders (Samatam Krouschnaya and Kamichetty Sri Parasurama Varaprasada Rao Naidu) organised daily meetings and processions against the merger and normally ended them with effigies being burnt.

At the beginning of June, the Secretary General of the French administration from Pondicherry met Dadala and informed that the government was transferring the two European officials who were residing in Yanam. He requested safety of these officials from the nationalist volunteers while leaving the place. Monsieur Dadala followed the two officials till Kakinada from where they departed by train (Circar Express) to Pondicherry.

[edit] Preparation for the Coup

Now with all white French leaders out of fear of any mob fury, the merger leaders decided it was right time to strike. Dadala made required arrangements to take the administration of Yanam after consultation with the officials of Kakinada and other local Yanam leaders Maddimsetti Satyanandam (Mayor of Yanam), Yerra Jagannatha Rao, Kamichetty Sri Parasurama Varaprasada Rao Naidu and Kanakala Tatayya Naidou (Two Members of Representative Assembly from Yanam). Though Kamichetty Parasuram Naidu was a pro-French leader because of his father, The Grand old man of Yanam, Kamichetty Venougopala Rao Naidou, he accepeted to join pro-merger camp.

During this time, Monsieur Maddimsetti fled away from Yanam, which brought anger in its people. That led to pillage of his home. A 78 year old doctor, Monsieur Samatam Krouschnaya, then became the interim Mayor of Yanam. He was the lone pro-French leader to fight against pro-merger leaders. Monsieur Samatam was an poet, historian and an Ayurvedic doctor. He wrote many books in Telugu and French.

Since Yanam was extremely dominant with pro-French feelings, it made the interference of Indian military unavoidable.

[edit] Coup d'État de Yanaon

In the early morning on Sunday, 13 June 1954, Dadala marched at the head of a few thousand volunteers from Kakinada towards the bungalow of the Administrator of Yanam, in order to capture it and hoist the Indian Flag. Bayankar Achary, another famous Indian revolutionary and patriot was a member of the volunteer corps. Marching 50 Yards ahead of his volunteers with a megaphone, he requested the French police and other officials to cooperate and surrender. The French police retaliated and threw a few grenades which fell at 20 meters from Dadala and exploded harmlessly. Then they started firing on the volunteers.

The volunteers took shelter behind the Manyam Zamindar’s choultry and fired many rounds against the French police who were in open place and in front of the police station. About four policemen were wounded and fell. The remaining policemen stopped firing and ran away to lock themselves inside the police building fearing mob fury. Dadala surrounded them and had them disarmed. The volunteers combed the town and arrested all the pro-French leaders and conducted a court martial against them. When they admitted to their guilt, clemency was shown to them. The Coup d'État of Yanam was announced by All India Radio and Press.

The Indian National Flag was hoisted on the top of administrator's bungalow. Then pro-merger group formed the Revolutionary Provisional Government of Yanam headed by Dadala and adopted a resolution declaring Yanaon A Libéré (Yanam liberated).

[edit] Murder of Monsieur Samatam

Another significant event that happened that day was the death of Monsieur Samatam Krouschnaya. During that day, he battled alone against all pro-merger group for French Sovereignty in Yanam. When he was trying to jump from a wall at Pydikondala house and take shelter, he was shot by Maddimchetty Satianandam who had a pistol given to him by one of his close friends. (This was a controversial accusition which was never proved) that It was known that Maddimchetty thought that because of Samatam only his house got pillaged. 78 year old Acting Mayor Monsieur Samatam died there, but even before his death he did not stopped shouting Vive la France. It was declared that Samatam was killed by the Indian military which brought tears to many people in Yanam. Had Monsieur Samatam was alive that day, Coup d'État de Yanaon would be an utter failure. That death event of Monsieur Samatam is considered by the French even now as a conspiracy by Indian side. For locals of Yanam, it was still a mystery about the real murderer of their beloved leader.

[edit] Aftermath of the Coup

The Coup d'État de Yanaon had enraged the French authorities of Pondicherry. Rumours were spread to the effect that the French government was dispatching a cruiser to Yanam to capture Merger Leaders and to re-establish their authority. After the Coup, the last administrator of Yanam, George Sala was recalled by André Ménard, then Governor General of Pondicherry in June 1954.

Dadala was also appointed as Acting Commissioner for Yanam for 14 days. Towards the end of June 1954, Sri Kewal Singh paid a visit to Yanam and requested Dadala's return to Pondicherry to continue his activities there. On 3 July, on Kewal Singh's request, Dadala left Yanam, after making all arrangements for its proper administration.

On 1 November 1954, Yanam was de-facto transferred to India. Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru had visited Pondicherry on 16 January 1955. Messrs Edouard Goubert, S. Perumal, Dadala and Sri Pakirisamy Pillai presented addresses to Pandit Nehru in a public meeting in the maidan of Gorimedu.

France declared it was not responsible for the events occurred after 13 June 1954 in the Treaty of Cession signed by French and Indian authorities on 28 May 1956.

Monsieur Dadala was appointed as high ranking officer in the then excise department of the state of Andhra Pradesh until he retired on 29 June 1963 three days before merger of Yanam in newly formed Union territory of Pondicherry.

[edit] Controversial aspects

Some controversial aspects prevailed in liberated Yanam which stuns many historians when observed keenly.

  • Pro-merger leader, Monsieur Maddimchetti had later taken French citizenship. (This is truely a speculation. Monsieur MADICHETTY Satianarayanamourty alias Satia alias Satianandam has never reclaimed french nationality in his life after the independance and he also never applied for french pension (like many other pro-merger leaders did) even though he served for french govt. during several years before independance. But after few years of his death his children and grand-children has taken french citizenship.)
  • Later, an accusation of freedom fighter Dadala of being involved in a money scam while being in Excise department. His reply was that he earned money through prostitution, which was allowed in French India, in order to escape punishment also raises question about his real character.
  • He was also accused of using the influence of being a leader of yanam merger movement in securing a high profile job later in the govt. of andhra pradesh.

[edit] Unsolved questions

These events raises some unsolved questions, which lost importance over a matter of time.

  • Whether Coup d'État de Yanaon, was Liberation or Capture?
  • Whether the creation of pro-merger atmosphere in Yanam by Monsieur Dadala was true?
  • Whether death of Monsieur Samatam Krouschnaya is assassination, murder or an accident?
  • If it was delivered by its own people, then why was that many elite and educated people took French citizenship?
  • Whether it was really Indian nationalism or personal gains that provoked Dadala, Maddimchetti and Kamichetty to join the Coup?

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • My Struggle for freedom of French Provinces in India, autobiography written by Sri Dadala Raphael Ramanayya

[edit] External links

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