Why did the people of Isur declare their village 'free'? What was its result?
In 1942, Isur residents refused to pay land revenue as agriculture yield had declined that year due to a natural calamity. When the British employed intimidating tactics, people offered stiff resistance and fought pitched battles with the police. The villagers barred British officials from entering Isur and hoisted the Tricolour from the top of Veerabhadreshwara Temple on September 29, 1942, and declared the village “free” of British rule. A large posse of police force sent by the British government a few days later to reclaim the village indulged in arson and looting. A revenue officer and a police officer were killed as the villagers fought with the law enforcers. Over 50 freedom fighters, who had fled to the nearby forest, were arrested over the next few days. K. Gurappa, Mallappa, Suryanarayanachar, Halappa and Shankarappa, who led freedom fighters, were martyred on March 8, 9, and 10 of 1943, respectively. Even Mahatma Gandhi and Subhas Chandra Bose spoke highly of the spirit of patriotism among Isur residents later.