Coup d'état de Yanaon

The Coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...

of Yanaon (Hindi

Hindi

Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

: Yanam Rājyaghātuka Charya) was an incident which brought interest for both India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

and France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

when both governments were in an ongoing negotiations in Delhi

Delhi

Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

and Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

regarding the future of French settlements in India

French India

French India is a general name for the former French possessions in India These included Pondichéry , Karikal and Yanaon on the Coromandel Coast, Mahé on the Malabar Coast, and Chandannagar in Bengal...

in 1954.

Yanam was a predominantly pro-French

Francophile

Is a person with a positive predisposition or interest toward the government, culture, history, or people of France. This could include France itself and its history, the French language, French cuisine, literature, etc...

colony, with staunch pro-French leaders like Samatam Krouschnaya

Samatam Krouschnaya

-Birth:Monsieur Samatam Krishnayya was born in Yanam in and around 1875.-Life:He was poet, historian and ayurvedic doctor too. He wrote many books in Telugu. He was staunch pro-French politician in his days....

, Kamichetty Sri Parassourama Varaprassada Rao Naidu

Kamichetty Sri Parassourama Varaprassada Rao Naidu

Kamichetty Sri Parassourama Varaprassada Rao Naidu was a member of the legislative assembly of Yanam, India from 1964 until his death in 1989....

, Kamichetty Venougopala Rao Naidou

Kamichetty Venougopala Rao Naidou

Kamichetty Venougopala Rao Naidu better known as The Grand Old Man of Yanaon was Mayor and MLA of Yanaon during French rule in first half of 20th century. He was one of the two powerful political leaders in Yanam during French rule. His opponent was Bezawada Bapa Naidou, the first mayor of Yanam...

and Kalla Venkata Ratnam. However, later events led by the intervention of Consul General, Sri Kewal Singh and Dadala Raphael Ramanayya

Dadala Raphael Ramanayya

Dadala Raphael Ramanayya was an Indian nationalist leader, instrumental in the merger of French territory Yanam into the Indian Union.-Early life:...

led to the liberation of the colonies.

The coup d'état of Yanaon was interpreted by different people. While Indian nationalists considered it as an act of liberation, French supporters considered it as an act of treachery.

Causes for Coup d'État

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 a predominant pro-French mindset.

The immediate cause is said to be the decision of Consul General Sri Kewal Singh on the night of 11 April 1954 at the conference at Kandamangalam. Since Yanam was small in area and population, he requested Dadala for a plan for its liberation which ultimately resulted in the coup d'état de Yanaon.

Before the Coup

On 10 December 1953, Consul General R.K. Tandon was transferred and Kewal Singh took his place. He stood behind Sellane Naicker and Dadala. He was able to detach the pro-French

Francophile

leaders and members of the assembly (Assemblée représentative) from the French camp and took them to New Delhi

New Delhi

New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

.

The unification movement gathered momentum under V. Subbiah

V. Subbiah

V. Subbiah was an Indian communist politician from Pondicherry . Subbiah was the secretary of the Communist Party of French India. He is regarded as the founder of the trade union movement in the union territory...

, when the pro-French leader Edouard Goubert

Edouard Goubert

Clemencedu Edouard Goubert was former mayor and first chief minister of Pondichéry between July 1, 1963 - September 11, 1964...

switched his loyalty to the pro-merger camp. 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 the Indian Union without a referendum

Referendum

A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...

. All the communes in Karikal also followed suit. This decision was to be confirmed by the Representative Assembly.

When the French India Socialist Party

French India Socialist Party

The French India Socialist Party was a political party in French India. The party was led by Edouard Goubert, Minister for General Administration for French India. The party played a dominant role in the political life in the colony, being backed by the French administration...

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

Direct action

Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...

to merge Pondichéry with India. 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

Provisional government

A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a very large government. The early provisional governments were created to prepare for the return of royal rule...

with Edouard Goubert as the head, was formed in the enclave of Nettapacom. The Indian Armed Reserve was posted round its borders.

In the meanwhile, negotiations were going on between the French Government and Indian Government governments in Delhi

Delhi

and Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. Sri Kewal Singh met all the leaders of the Provisional Government

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

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.

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 was very much dominated by the pro-French atmosphere and hence, there was no living nationalism

Nationalism

Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...

signs. On 14 April 1954, he proceeded to Kakinada

Kakinada

Kakinada is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad. It is also the headquarters of East Godavari district. It is nicknamed "Fertilizer City" , "Pensioner's Paradise" and "Second Madras"...

, a border town to Yanam which was coming under East Godavari

East Godavari

East Godavari District is a district situated on the northeast of the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Its district headquarters is Kakinada. It is the second richest district in the whole country...

District of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

State in India. There he met all the district leaders and officials for help and aid. However, 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

Administration (government)

The term administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to jurisdiction.-United States:In United States usage, the term refers to the executive branch under a specific president , for example: the "Barack Obama administration." It can also mean an executive branch agency...

. Next day when 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 over a nearby flood bank. From there he hastily retreated to the Indian territory.

Returning to Kakinada

Kakinada

, he purchased a large number of Congress

Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

flags and started a house-to-house campaign, requesting students and their leaders to organise a meeting in the town hall grounds. Along with his new nationalistic recruits, he hired lorries with congress flags and 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.

Then the French police raided some of the villages on Indian territory. Dadala sent a telegram to 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

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 of Pondicherry met Dadala and informed him 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. Dadala followed the two officials till Kakinada

Kakinada

from where they departed by train (Circar Express) to Pondicherry.

Preparation for the Coup

Now with all white French leaders in fear of any mob fury, the merger leaders decided it was the right time to strike. Dadala made arrangements to take the administration of Yanam after consultation with the officials of Kakinada and other local Yanam leaders Madimchetty Satianandam (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

Kamichetty Venougopala Rao Naidou

, he accepeted to join the pro-merger camp.

During this time, Maddimsetti fled from Yanam, which made his supporters angry and led to pillage of his home. A 78-year-old doctor

Physician

A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

, Samatam Krouschnaya

Samatam Krouschnaya

, became the interim Mayor of Yanam. He was the lone pro-French leader to fight against pro-merger leaders. Samatam was a poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

, historian

Historian

A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...

and an Ayurvedic doctor

Ayurveda

Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...

. He wrote many books in Telugu

Telugu language

Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

and French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

.

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

In the early morning on Sunday, 13 June 1954, Dadala marched at the head of a few thousand volunteers from Kakinada towards the bungalow

Bungalow

A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...

of the Administrator of Yanam, in order to capture it and hoist the Indian Flag. Bayankar Achary, another Indian revolutionary and patriot was a member of the volunteer corps. Marching 50 yards ahead of his volunteers with a megaphone

Megaphone

A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, cone-shaped horn used to amplify a person’s voice or other sounds towards a targeted direction. This is accomplished by channelling the sound through the megaphone, which also serves to match the...

, he requested the French police and other officials to cooperate and surrender. The French police retaliated and threw 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

Manyam Zamindar

Manyam Zamindar were Zamindars from the family of Manyam, belonging to the Komati Arya Vysya Caste. They actively participated in the administrative and financial affairs of Yanaon in French India. In first half of twentieth century, the last Manyam Zamindar died without a male heir and was...

’s choultry

Choultry

A choultry, or tschultri, is a resting place for visitors where rooms and food are provided by a charitable institution for nominal rates.Some were guesthouses where accommodation was free of charge...

and fired against the French police who were in the open in front of the police station. About four policemen were wounded, while 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 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

All India Radio

All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...

and Press

Mass media

Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...

.

The Indian National Flag was hoisted on the top of administrator's bungalow

Bungalow

A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...

. Then pro-merger group formed the Revolutionary Provisional Government

Provisional government

of Yanam headed by Dadala and adopted a resolution declaring Yanaon A Libéré (Yanam liberated).

Murder of Samatam

Another significant event that happened that day was the death of Samatam Krouschnaya. During that day, he battled alone against all pro-merger group for French Sovereignty in Yanam. The location of Samatam was communicated to Satianandam by his brother Satianarayana. When Samatam 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. It was known that Maddimchetty thought that because of Samatam only his house got pillaged. Samatam died there, but even before his death he did not stop shouting Vive la France.

The news of Samatam's death brought tears to many people in Yanam. Had Samatam survived that day, the coup d'état would have been an utter failure. His death is considered by the French a conspiracy

Conspiracy (political)

In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....

by India. For locals of Yanam, it was still a mystery about the real murderer of their beloved leader. There was also a rumour that his body was cut into pieces and was thrown in adjoint Godavari River

Godavari River

The Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India , that runs within the country and also the longest river in South India...

after the coup.

Aftermath

The coup d'état de Yanaon enraged the French authorities of Pondicherry. Rumours were spread to the effect that the French government was dispatching a cruiser

Cruiser

A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...

to Yanam to capture Merger Leaders and to re-establish their authority. Just three days before the coup, the last administrator

Administrator of the Government

An Administrator in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth is a person who fulfils a role similar to that of a Governor or a Governor-General...

of Yanam, George Sala, was recalled by André Ménard

André Ménard

André Ménard was a Governor General in the French colonial empire in the 20th century.-Significant events:During his reign, the coup d'État de Yanaon happened on 13 June 1954. In the aftermath, he recalled the Administrator of Yanam , George Sala, to Pondicherry.-Titles:-References:* Book of the...

, then Governor General of Pondicherry.

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 having made all arrangements for its proper administration.

On 1 November 1954, Yanam was de-facto transferred to India. Prime Minister

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...

visited Pondicherry on 16 January 1955. Edouard Goubert, S. Perumal, Dadala and Sri Pakirisamy Pillai presented addresses to Pandit Nehru in a public meeting in the maidan of Gorimedu.

France

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 department of the state of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

until he retired on 29 June 1963, three days before merger of Yanam into the newly formed Union territory

Union Territory

A Union Territory is a sub-national administrative division of India, in the federal framework of governance. Unlike the states of India, which have their own elected governments, union territories are ruled directly by the federal government; the President of India appoints an Administrator or...

of Pondicherry.

Unsolved questions

The events described above raised some unsolved questions, which lost importance over a matter of time:

whether the coup d'état de Yanaon was a Liberation
Liberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...

or a Capture
whether the creation of pro-merger atmosphere in Yanam by Dadala was true
whether the death of Samatam Krouschnaya was an assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...

, murder or an accident
If its own people delivered it, then why did so many elite and educated people opt for French citizenship?

Causes for Coup d'État

Before the Coup

Preparation for the Coup