Lakshman Naik

Lakshman Naik (22 November 1899 - 29 March 1943), the Koraput tribal leader who led the 1942 Quit India Movement in Odisha's Koraput district. Born at Tentuliguma village, Naik organised the Jeypore-area tribals (Khonds, Parajas and Gadabas) in the August 1942 uprising. On 21 August 1942, he led the Koraput tribals to the Mathili police station where in the subsequent chaos a forest guard was killed; the British framed Naik for the killing. He was hanged at Berhampur Jail on 29 March 1943, becoming one of the first tribal martyrs of the Quit India Movement. The 2017 Jeypore Lakshman Naik statue and the Koraput district memorial preserve his legacy.