Women warriors of 1942 who led the Quit India Movement

Mahatma Gandhi's well-remembered "do or die" slogan ignited India's mass uprising for independence during the Quit India Movement. While Gandhi had long advocated for Indian self-determination, this movement was notable for its broad support from peasants, students, and the lower middle class.

On 8 August 1942, Gandhi's call for civil disobedience led to the imprisonment of him and other leaders, leaving the movement without a clear leader.

Despite this, people engaged in bold acts of protest, disrupting railway lines, burning police stations, and destroying telegraph services. The British authorities responded harshly with lathi charges and mass arrests.

Yet, while Gandhi and Nehru got most of the attention, the fierce and determined women leaders who participated in the movement often remained in the shadows.

The Quit India Movement empowered women to leave their homes and oppose British rule. With many men incarcerated, women took to the streets, meeting, giving public lectures, demonstrations, and even handling explosives.

They emerged as torchbearers of the movement and were often imprisoned for their beliefs.

Unfortunately, women also suffered severe repercussions from the British reprisals. British officials often broke into homes and subjected women to violence, abuse and rape.

Although hundreds of women participated in the protests, some notable individuals stand out in the history of women's participation in the Quit India Movement.

Here are amazing women leaders from the Quit India Movement:

Aruna Asaf Ali 

Aruna Asaf Ali, popularly known as the 'Grand Old Lady' of the Independence Movement, was a fearless Punjabi revolutionary who played a significant role in the Quit India Movement.

She is best remembered for her audacious act of raising the Indian national flag on the Gowalia tank maidan in Bombay on 9 August 1942, which marked the beginning of the movement.

Despite police firing on the assembly, she courageously presided over the session, earning her the title "Heroine of the 1942 Movement."

Usha Mehta 

Quit India Revolution found her voice in the sweet tones of Usha Mehta, a 22-year-old student activist.

She was probably India's first and bravest radio jockey to date! His underground radio station alerted India to the latest developments in the movement. She broadcast news that was suppressed by the official news agencies working clandestinely in various places to esca upon detection by the police; the station also broadcast patriotic songs as well as speeches by revolutionaries like Ram Manohar Lohia.

The radio station debuted on 27 August 1942, on a 41.72-meter band. It ran until 6 March 1943. It last aired on 26 January 1944.

AV Kuttimalu Amma

One of the best-known freedom fighters in Kerala, she was one of the prominent leaders of the Quit India Movement. When the government banned Mathrubhumi magazine for publishing an article about British soldiers misbehaving with local women, Amma led a procession of women, demanding the government lift the ban. Her two-month-old baby accompanied her.

Kanaklata Barua

Kanaklata Barua, a 17-year-old girl from Assam, was part of a 'Mrityu Bahini' death squad. She led a procession of unarmed villagers during the Quit India Movement, intending to raise the national flag at the British-dominated Gohpur police station.

However, the police opened fire and shot her dead. Her courage and sacrifice for the country are reverently remembered despite her young age.

Tara Rani Srivastava

Tara Rani Srivastava, born in Patna, and her husband Phulendu Babu were active in the Quit India Movement. When her husband was shot while the newlyweds were chanting in front of the Siwan police station, she did not hesitate.

Instead, she kept marching towards the police station with the national flag. Her husband was dead when she returned, but her spirit remained intact.

Matangini Hazra 

Who knew that an old, small, fragile body had so much value? Matangini Hazra, a 73-year-old woman from the Midnapore district of West Bengal, is one of the lesser-known leaders of the Quit India Movement. On 29 September, she led over 6,000 freedom fighters to loot the Tamluk police station. When the police responded by firing, she continued her procession with her head (and the National Flag) held high, despite being hit by bullets. She died singing 'Vande Mataram'.

Sucheta Kripalani 

Punjab's Sucheta Kripalani, India's first female chief minister and a professor of constitutional history, served as head of Uttar Pradesh. She also founded the All India Mahila Congress in 1940.

The British arrested her for her active participation in the movement. Her resilience and commitment to her cause of freedom marked her as one of the movement's key women leaders.