हेडर

Hutatma Babu Genu was born on 1 January 1908, in Ambegaon taluka, Pune district, under the Bombay Presidency. He worked as a mill worker in Bombay and became a prominent figure in the protests against British trade practices in India. One significant event occurred on 12 December 1930, when a cloth merchant named George Frazier, hailing from Manchester, attempted to transport loads of foreign-made cloth from his shop in old Hanuman Galli in the Fort region to Mumbai Port. He was accompanied by police protection upon his request. Despite protests from Indian independence activists, the police ensured the movement of the truck. As the truck approached Bhangwadi on Kalbadevi Road, Babu Genu bravely stood in front of it, shouting praises for Mahatma Gandhi. The police officer ordered the driver to drive over Babu Genu, but the driver, an Indian, refused, stating, "I am Indian, and he is also Indian. We are brothers. How can I murder my brother?" Ignoring the driver's plea, the English police officer drove the truck over Babu Genu, crushing him. This brutal act sparked widespread protests throughout Mumbai. Today, a corner near KEM hospital in Parel, Mumbai, is named after Babu Genu, with his bust displayed as Hutatma Babu Genu. Additionally, a grand Hutatma Babu Genu memorial stands in his village in Ambegaon taluka, Pune district, Maharashtra.

Source: Vijay Balasaheb Pawbake, Contributor for CCRT.