Freedom Fighters of India List from 1857 to 1947 is given here with names, their contribution and the state wise pension list. Names of freedom fighters who get Central Samman Pension under Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana (SSSY) are updated by Ministry of Home Affairs, and the latest published list covers names up to 30 November 2022.
British East India Company ruled India for nearly a century, from 1757 till 1857. The fight for independence picked up pace in 1857 during the Indian Rebellion, also called the First War of Independence or Sepoy Mutiny. Leaders like Mangal Pandey, Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Nana Saheb, Tatya Tope, Kunwar Singh, Man Singh, Bakht Khan and Begum Hazrat Mahal came together against British rule.
India stayed under British rule from 1857 to 1947. During these years, many freedom fighters gave their lives for the country. In the early 1900s, Bal Gangadhar Tilak started a campaign to promote Indian goods and boycott British products. Mahatma Gandhi led a strike against the Rowlatt Act in 1919, and Lala Lajpat Rai protested against the Simon Commission in 1928. Bhagat Singh bombed the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi and took part in many revolutionary acts. Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920 and the Quit India Movement in 1942. All these efforts ended with India getting independence on 15 August 1947.
Ministry of Home Affairs runs the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana for freedom fighters and their eligible family members. The scheme started in 1972 and was renamed Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme from 1 August 1980. A total of 40 freedom movements are recognised for pension under this scheme, and the names of pensioners are published on the MHA website.
Freedom Fighters of India List 1857 to 1947
Main details of the list, the pension scheme and the official links are given in the table below.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| List Name | Freedom Fighters of India List 1857 to 1947 |
| Period Covered | 1857 to 1947 |
| What the List Has | Names of freedom fighters with their contribution |
| Pension List Maintained By | Ministry of Home Affairs, under Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana |
| Recognised Freedom Movements | 40 |
| State Wise Pension List | Names drawing Central Samman Pension up to 30 November 2022 |
| Official Website | mha.gov.in |
Freedom Fighters of India with Their Contribution
Freedom fighters came from different states, spoke different languages and followed different ways of protest. Some picked up arms, some wrote and published, and some led peaceful movements. Names of the main freedom fighters and the work they did are given below.
| Name of Freedom Fighter | Main Contribution |
|---|---|
| Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi | Father of the Nation Civil rights activist in South Africa Champaran and Kheda Satyagraha Non-violence Civil disobedience Quit India Movement |
| Dr. B. R. Ambedkar | Father of the Constitution First Law Minister of India |
| Dr. Rajendra Prasad | First President of the Republic of India Leader from Bihar |
| Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel | Took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement and Quit India Movement Unified India |
| Jawaharlal Nehru | Main freedom fighter First Prime Minister of India |
| Bhagat Singh | Leading revolutionary figure |
| Rani Gaidinliu | Naga spiritual and political leader |
| Pingali Venkayya | Designer of the Indian National Flag |
| Rani Lakshmi Bai | Main figure in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 |
| Veerapandiya Kattabomman | 18th-century Tamil chieftain who resisted British rule Captured and executed on 16 October 1799 |
| Mangal Pandey | A central figure in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 |
| Bakht Khan | Took part in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 |
| Chetram Jatav | Supported the 1857 revolt |
| Bahadur Shah Zafar | Last Mughal Emperor and leader during the Rebellion of 1857 |
| Begum Hazrat Mahal | Important role in the uprising of 1857 |
| Asaf Ali | Took part in the Indian National Movement |
| Ashfaqulla Khan | Took part in the Kakori conspiracy |
| Manmath Nath Gupta | Took part in the Kakori conspiracy |
| Rajendra Lahiri | Linked with the Kakori conspiracy |
| Sachindra Bakshi | Part of the Kakori conspiracy group |
| Ram Prasad Bismil | Leader of the Kakori conspiracy |
| Roshan Singh | Took part in the Kakori conspiracy |
| Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee | Member of the Kakori conspiracy |
| Annie Besant | Leader of the Home Rule Movement |
| Bagha Jatin | Took part in the Howrah-Shibpur conspiracy case |
| Kartar Singh Sarabha | Main figure in the Lahore conspiracy case |
| Basawon Singh (Sinha) | Linked with the Lahore conspiracy case |
| Senapati Bapat | Leader of the Mulshi Satyagraha |
| Bhikaji Cama | Unfurled the Indian flag at the International Socialist Conference in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1907 |
| Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi | Founded the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan |
| Tirupur Kumaran | Founded the Desa Bandhu Youth Association |
| Lakshmi Sahgal | Officer in the Indian National Army |
| Parbati Giri | Known as the Mother Teresa of Western Orissa |
| Kanneganti Hanumanthu | Took part in the Palnadu Rebellion |
| Shyamji Krishna Varma | Established the Indian Home Rule Society and the Indian Sociologist publication in London |
| Alluri Sitarama Raju | Led the Rampa Rebellion (1922-1924) |
| Sucheta Kriplani | Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Founder of All India Mahila Congress in 1940 Recited Vande Mataram in the Constituent Assembly on 15 August 1947 |
| Bhavabhushan Mitra | Took part in the Ghadar Mutiny |
| Chandra Shekhar Azad | Reorganized the Hindustan Republican Association into the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) |
| Subhas Chandra Bose | Two-time elected President of the Indian National Congress Main military leader of the Indian National Army (INA) |
| Chittaranjan Das | Leader of the Non-Cooperation Movement in Bengal, founded the Swaraj Party |
| Prafulla Chaki | Took part in the Muzaffarpur incident |
| Khudiram Bose | Linked to the Muzaffarpur incident |
| Madan Lal Dhingra | Killed Curzon Wyllie |
| Surya Sen | Led the Chittagong Armoury raid |
| Vinayak Damodar Savarkar | Main figure of Hindu Mahasabha and framed the Hindu nationalist ideology |
| Rash Behari Bose | Main member of the Indian National Army |
| Subodh Roy | Leader of the Tebhaga movement |
| Ubaidullah Sindhi | Main participant in the Silk Letter Conspiracy |
| Tanguturi Prakasam | First Chief Minister of the new Andhra state formed after the partition of the Madras State on linguistic lines |
Names of Freedom Fighters of India
Many names come up when you look at the freedom struggle. Some of the well known ones are Mahatma Gandhi, Kunwar Singh, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Dadabhai Naoroji, Tantia Tope, K. M. Munshi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Bhagat Singh, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Nana Sahib, Chandra Shekhar Azad and C. Rajagopalachari.
Other names in the same list include Abdul Hafiz Mohamed Barakatullah, Ashfaqulla Khan, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Lala Lajpat Rai, Ram Prasad Bismil, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Rani Lakshmi Bai, Bipin Chandra Pal, Chittaranjan Das, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Subhas Chandra Bose, Mangal Pandey and Sukhdev. Contributions of each of these freedom fighters are given in the table above.
Freedom Fighters of India List PDF Download
You can download the list of Freedom Fighters of India from 1857 to 1947 in PDF format from the link given below. The PDF covers the Indian freedom struggle in detail and is useful for students preparing for exams.
Download Indian Freedom Struggle PDF
State Wise Freedom Fighters Pension List Under SSSY
Freedom fighters and their eligible dependents get a monthly pension under Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana. Ministry of Home Affairs publishes the state wise list of names drawing Central Samman Pension on its website. The latest published list has names up to 30 November 2022, and the list of sanctioned and rejected cases for grant of pension from May 2023 to April 2025 is also out.
Download State Wise Freedom Fighters Pension List
Download Sanctioned and Rejected Pension Cases List (May 2023 to April 2025)
Download List of 40 Recognised Freedom Movements
For the latest notifications, guidelines and pension related documents, check the Freedom Fighters Rehabilitation Division page of MHA.
Facilities Given to Central Samman Pensioners
Along with the monthly pension, freedom fighters who get Central Samman Pension and their widows get a few other facilities from the central government. Main ones are listed below.
- Free railway pass in II AC in Rajdhani trains, chair car in Shatabdi and Jan Shatabdi trains, and first class or AC II tier of all other trains, for the pensioner and widow along with one attendant for life.
- Free treatment in all central government hospitals, including CGHS dispensaries, and in hospitals run by public sector undertakings.
- General Pool Residential Accommodation in Delhi for freedom fighters, within the overall 5 percent discretionary quota.
- Telephone connection without any installation charge, where only half the rent has to be paid.
How to Check Name in Freedom Fighters Pension List
STEP 1 - Go to the official website at mha.gov.in and open the Freedom Fighters Rehabilitation Division page from the divisions section.
STEP 2 - Look for the Documents in Public Domain section on that page. The list of names drawing Central Samman Pension is placed there as a PDF link.
STEP 3 - Open the PDF and use the search option in your PDF reader to find the name of the freedom fighter or family member. Entries are arranged state wise along with the pensioner details.
STEP 4 - If a name is missing or needs correction, contact the freedom fighters cell of your state government or the Freedom Fighters Division of Ministry of Home Affairs through the contact details given on the same page.
Related lists on the website: Presidents of India list from 1950 to present, Prime Ministers of India list from 1947 and Home Ministers of India list.