Draft:Batta Rajaiah

Batta Rajaiah
Rajaiah at his home in Hyderabad, August 2020
Born	(1930-03-24)24 March 1930 Jangaon, Hyderabad State (present-day Telangana, India)
Died	17 January 2026(2026-01-17) (aged 95) Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Other name	B. Rajaiah
Known for	Participation in the Hyderabad liberation struggle
Awards	Tamra Patra (1988)

Batta Rajaiah (24 March 1930 – 18 January 2026), also transliterated Botta Rajaiah and commonly referred to as B. Rajaiah, was an Indian freedom fighter who took part as a teenager in the movement to integrate Hyderabad State into the Indian Union in 1947–48. He supplied food and concealed ammunition to activists sheltering in student hostels in Hyderabad, was trained in the use of explosives, and took part in acts of sabotage against the administration of the Nizam of Hyderabad. He was presented a Tamra Patra, a commemorative honour given by the Government of India to surviving participants of the Indian independence movement, in 1988.

Early life

Rajaiah was born on 24 March 1930 in Jangaon, then in Hyderabad State and now in Telangana. His father was Batta Venkaiah.

Hyderabad liberation struggle

Although India became independent in August 1947, Hyderabad State remained under the rule of the Nizam, and Rajaiah joined the agitation for its integration into India while still a teenager. He was active in the movement from June 1947 until Hyderabad's accession in September 1948. He took part in protests and in raising the Indian flag at locations across the city, went without food for extended periods, and at times went into hiding.

In 1945 Rajaiah was involved in an early organising meeting of the socialist wing of the movement, held at the Sri Krishna Devaraya Telugu Bhasha Nilayam in Sultan Bazar. The meeting was convened by Amdyala Sriramulu, Sivaram Sastri and Maturi Narasimha Rao, with Rajaiah among those making the arrangements. During his period of underground activity he resided at Miss Manning Model School in Ramkote, later renamed the Manoranjitham Memorial High School.

Students involved in the movement gathered at Reddy Hostel in the Abids area of Hyderabad, where meetings were convened. The hostel was patronised by Raja Bahadur Venkatarama Reddy, a former Commissioner of Police in Hyderabad who supported the nationalist cause; to evade detection its operations were periodically shifted between premises in Narayanguda, Jeera and Marredpally. Rajaiah prepared food and delivered it to those in hiding in tiffin boxes, and by his own account concealed ammunition in the same containers alongside the food.

Rajaiah became proficient with explosives and trained other participants in their use. He learned the preparation of ordnance material under B. Narsing Rao, and afterwards trained others including G. Yadayya. He took part in sabotage at Umdanagar railway station and in the derailment of a goods train, and in the burning of records and furniture at a government customs office in Nampally. He also supplied arms to Maturi Narasimha Rao and other activists operating in Bhadrachalam, where they were engaged in the training of tribal volunteers. On 15 August 1947, the day of Indian independence but while Hyderabad State was still under the Nizam, Rajaiah joined a satyagraha and saluted the Indian flag before returning to hiding.

Later life

After Hyderabad was merged with India, Rajaiah settled in Hyderabad, where he lived for the rest of his life. In later years he lived in the Boggulakunta area of Tilak Road, in the Sultan Bazar locality of the city, close to King Kothi. He continued to seek a livelihood, and spent many years pursuing the allotment of land that he said had been promised to freedom fighters by the central government, describing in 2022 how he had approached government offices about the matter over some twenty-five years. In later life he tended a small garden at his home.

Recognition

The Tamra Patra presented to Rajaiah in 1988

On 15 August 1988, Rajaiah was presented a Tamra Patra, a commemorative copper plaque issued in the name of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi under a scheme begun during the tenure of Indira Gandhi to recognise participants in the freedom struggle.

Compliments card from President Ram Nath Kovind, delivered to Rajaiah in August 2021

In August 2021, a message from President Ram Nath Kovind recognising Rajaiah's participation in the Quit India Movement was delivered to him at his home in Sultan Bazar by the Revenue Divisional Officer, G. Venkateswarlu, and the Mandal Revenue Officer, M. Ramakrishna.

On 15 August 2021, Independence Day, Rajaiah was chief guest at a portrait exhibition of freedom fighters held at Shilparamam in Madhapur, Hyderabad, as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav commemorations. He lit the ceremonial lamp to inaugurate the exhibition, which had been organised by J. Kishan Rao, a retired IAS officer then heading the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation.

On 30 December 2022, Rajaiah was invited by President Droupadi Murmu to lunch at Rashtrapati Nilayam, the President's official retreat in Secunderabad, during her annual southern sojourn.

Invitation from the President of India to Rajaiah for lunch at Rashtrapati Nilayam, Secunderabad, 30 December 2022

On 17 September 2022, Rajaiah was named and honoured at an award presentation ceremony at Raj Bhavan, Hyderabad, presided over by the Governor of Telangana, Tamilisai Soundararajan.

Death

Rajaiah died in Hyderabad on the night of 17 January 2026, aged 95. Tributes were paid by political figures in Telangana, including the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party unit, N. Ramchander Rao; the Union Minister of State Bandi Sanjay Kumar; and the Telangana Legislative Council member Malka Komaraiah.