The aim of the attack was to liberate Umri Bank from the clutches of the Nizam's regime in Marathwada, which continued to rule even after India gained independence. The historical significance of Umri is immense, as it was a site of protest for freedom. It has been 75 years since the attack on the Hyderabad State Bank, police station, and railway tracks took place on January 30th. While the bank was located on private property and is no longer standing, the police station that was attacked by the Nizam's forces still stands today, with each pillar bearing witness to the struggle for Hyderabad's liberation. The walls of this police station in Umri serve as a reminder of the fight for freedom and will continue to inspire future generations.
The historical police station in Umri still stands today, preserved by the police department and serving as a symbol of both the region's past struggle for freedom and its present commitment to maintaining peace and order. The attack on the Hyderabad State Bank on 30 January 1948, was a pivotal moment in the fight to break free from Nizam rule. The day before, on January 29, freedom fighters from Umarkhed had gathered in Devasari village and split into four groups to carry out coordinated attacks the next day. Rajaram Deshmukh, Amrita Rao, and 35 others went to sabotage the railway tracks and wires, while Nagnath Paranjape led a group of 15 to attack the police station. Bhimrao Deshmukh and others from Umri joined in the attack on the railway station. The walls of Shan still bear witness to these events. 75 years later, on the anniversary of the police station attack, Mohan Sharma, Jagdish, Baburao Kuturkar, and others gathered to commemorate the struggle for liberation.
On a fateful day, a group of 21 men, including local Umari activists Anant Bhalerao, Abasaheb Lahankar, Sahebrao Deshmukh, Bardkar, Bansilal Toshniwal, Kishore Shahane, Digambarrao Uttarwar, Shankarlal Sharma, Bansilal Malani, Dhanraj Purohit, Raghunath Pandit, and Kashinath Shetty, carried out simultaneous attacks on the Hyderabad State Bank branch, police station, and railway tracks at 4:30 pm in a bid for liberation from the Nizam's rule. The building that currently houses the Umri Police Station, which was attacked during this uprising, holds significant historical importance. It has been maintained in its current state by the police administration and continues to serve as a symbol of peace and order.
Source: Kavita Damodarrao Joshi, DRP, CCRT