Bhubaneswar: Legendary freedom fighter and Gandhian Biswanath Das, also known as Balikuda Gandhi, passed away following age-related ailments. He was 105.
He breathed his last while undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College in Cuttack. Das, a resident of Bhagaban Sindhola village in the Balikuda tehsil of Jagatsinghpur district, had joined the freedom struggle as a student with the appeal of Mahatma Gandhi.
He was a key figure in the Quit India movement. During the Movement in 1942 and 1943, he was imprisoned by the British government.
CM Naveen Patnaik condoled his passing away. Patnaik, in a tweet stated, that Das’ contribution to freedom fight is incomparable.
ରାଷ୍ଟ୍ରପତି ପୁରସ୍କାର ପ୍ରାପ୍ତ ଜଗତସିଂହପୁରର ବିଶିଷ୍ଟ ସ୍ବାଧୀନତା ସଂଗ୍ରାମୀ ବିଶ୍ୱନାଥ ଦାସଙ୍କ ଦେହାନ୍ତ ବିଷୟରେ ଜାଣି ମୁଁ ଦୁଃଖିତ। ଭାରତ ଛାଡ଼ ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନରେ ଯୋଗଦାନ ସହ ଦେଶ ସ୍ବାଧୀନତା ପାଇଁ ତାଙ୍କ ଅବଦାନ ଅତୁଳନୀୟ। ତାଙ୍କ ଅମର ଆତ୍ମାର ସଦଗତି କାମନା କରିବା ସହ ଶୋକସନ୍ତପ୍ତ ପରିବାରବର୍ଗଙ୍କ ପ୍ରତି ସମବେଦନା ଜଣାଉଛି।
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) November 1, 2022
Das was honored by the President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan in 2012.
Similarly, on the occasion of the 2020 Independence Day, he was honored for the second time by then-President Ram Nath Kovind.
