Jeypore: A freedom fighter named Gadadhar Mohapatra from Jeypore town of Koraput district has been included in the list of Unsung Heroes of India’s Freedom Struggle published on a website by the Central Government to commemorate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a source said today.

Union Culture department has mentioned the life history of Mohapatra on the website. The elderly man who has already passed away was from Dashsahi of the town. In his early days, he was a member of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s Azad Hind Fauj, the department stated.

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Mohapatra was born on 5 July 1921. He joined the British India Army in 1940 as he was keen from his childhood days to work in military services and was posted in erstwhile Calcutta. Subsequently, the man was imparted training in Bangalore and then sent to Malaya to guard the borders.

The freedom fighter was arrested by the Japanese Army when he was fighting in a war against Japan.

In 1942, Captain Mohan Singh approached Mohapatra and he became deeply moved and joined INA. Subsequently, he was put behind bars in Rangoon in 1945 as a prisoner of war (POW).

The inclusion of Mohapatra in the list of ‘Unsung Heroes of India’s Freedom Struggle’ was appreciated by many local residents and intellectuals in Koraput district. The life history of such freedom fighters must be incorporated in school syllabus for the younger generation, some intelligentsia opined.