Variyankunnath Kunjahammad Haji
[20] According to R. H. Hitchcock, who took part in the fight against the rebellion, "Khilafat to him (Variyankunnath Kunjahammad Haji) was a Turkish matter, not Indian.
[20] He established a parallel government in the Malabar District of Madras Presidency in open defiance of the British Raj, which lasted for a short period of six months.
With his long-term mentor, Ali Musliyar, Kunjahammed Haji seized large areas of the then Eranad and Valluvanad taluks, now part of Kerala state in India, from British control.
[25] However, under the Modi government,[26][27][28][29] the Indian Council of Historical Research considered removing the names of Haji and 386 others from the Dictionary of Martyrs of India's Freedom Struggle for being associated with the Khilafat Movement.
[5] On 7 December 1921 two American newspapers, Detroit Free Press and The Baltimore Sun, reported the message received by the Friends of Freedom for India from Variyankunnath Kunjahammad Haji in a cablegram.
In these two American newspaper reports the message was preceded by the following sentence: "Charges that the Moplahs of Malabar have put to death many Hindus and forcibly converted others to Mohammedanism were denied and characterized as part of a British plot to discredit the Moplah movement of India's independence in a cablegram from Variamkunnath Kunhamed Haji ..."[31][32]
So anyone giving aid and comfort to the enemy will be se verely dealt with, irrespective of social position or religious affiliation.
[35][36][need quotation to verify] He pursued his basic religious education from village Madrasa, later upgraded as 'Ezhuthukalari' where Malayalam language was also part of curriculam.
[37][need quotation to verify] Haji could also be seen as the one who was very passionate of traditional mappila art forms, he used to conduct Kolkkali, Daffumutt, and Katha Prasangam.
[49] The Manjeri Congress conference held 28–29 April 1920 was a huge victory for Mappilas, lower caste people and peasants.
In this conference a motion supporting, non-violent non-cooperation in case the British government decides Khilafat question[50] contrary to the Muslims' request and faith, was passed with a huge majority.
M. P. Narayana Menon says Jenmis and prominent Congress leaders in Malabar expressed concern about this organised activity of Mappilas.
What the Hitchcock-Thomas group did on 5 February 1921 was to ban meetings in Eranad and Valluvanad, and speeches by certain people (inuding Variamkunnath Kunjahammad Haji).
The police in Malabar began to threaten the Khilafat volunteers and leaders in a particular manner in important centres and, to visit the prominent people loyal to the British and receive food and others from there, each day.
"[79] It was during the rebellion began after the firing incident took place in Thirurangadi by Collector Thomas at a large group of people gathered there that he again became active in the struggle against the British,[80] in a moment.
As leaders they followed a secular approach[99] Rebels like Kunjahammad Haji tried to ensure that the Hindus are not assaulted or subject to looting.
[106][107] Sumit Sarkar in Modern India quotes an Arya Samaj source that claimed about 600 Hindus were killed and 2,500 forcibly converted during the rebellion.
[131] As the rebellion helmed by the Haji and others began to spread across the Ernad and Valluvanad taluks of erstwhile Malabar district, British officers and the local police loyal to them escaped[132] From the first day of war those fled to Kozhikode from Eranad include some pro-British Mappilas besides Jenmis.
All of them belonged to the chottu pattalam (the private army of chiefstains who were conducive for the British government) of Khan Bahadur-Khan Sahibs.
[132] Later on its own passport, currency, and its own system of taxation were introduced[141] Even in the Manjeri proclamation which was made within few days after the rebellion started he said he had known it was propagated in the outside world that it was a war between the Muslims and Hindus.
Some ordinary Mapilas joined them for vengeance thereby causing the goal of Mappillas loyal to the British, to destroy Hindu-Muslim unity, to be fulfilled.
This was the regular plot of the British: the act of murdering the poor people when not possible to win over the revolutionaries by fighting thereby causing them to surrender by instilling the sense of guilt.
In Karuvarakund, Thuvvur, Konnara, Cheroor, the East Kozhikode region and Pandikkad the British army did inexplicable atrocities.
[176] Superintendent Amu in an interview given to Moyyarath Sankaran, says it became a normal thing that the White military personnel, the Gurkhas and Malabar Special Police kill the Mappilas without taking the cognisance of the party the victim belonged to.
[185] In short it was not the might of the celebrated British elite army, but 'psychological war' that destroyed the Variyankunnath Kunjahammad Haji's military and the parallel government.
[197][198] The letter written by Variyan Kunnathu Kunjahammed Haji, which appeared on the newspaper The Hindu on 18 October 1921:[199] "Honoured Editor, I request you to publish the following facts in your paper.
"Variamkunnath Kunjahammed Haji said, in a cablegram received by the Friends of Freedom for India, the reported forced conversion of many Hindus to Mohammadanism and killing others were by the British agents and spies.
[163] To thwart the attempt of Mappilas loyal to the British, Variamkunnath Kunnahammad Haji, on the second day of the war started, organised the Thekkekalam meeting.
[206] In a letter written to The Hindu, Variyamkunnath Kunjahammad Haji exposed the attempt for compulsory military service by the British.
[209] Haji was sentenced to death and executed by Commander Colonel Humphrey's firing squad for his involvement in Malabar rebellion.
