Laxman Nayak, a great freedom fighter of Odisha and a legendary figure among tribals. He was born on 22nd November 1899 in Tentuliguma village of Koraput District and his father Padlam Nayak was a tribal chieftain and ‘Mustedar’ under ‘Jeypore Samasthanam’ in the then Madras Presidency. He became the Chef de Mission in the Congress campaign in the Malkangiri Sub-division during the first ever election 1936.
However, greater things were in store for him. Responding to the call of Mahatma Gandhi, Laxman Nayak led a procession on 21st August 1942 and demonstrated peacefully in front of Mathili Police Station. But the police fired at the demonstrator indiscriminately. This claimed forty lives and more than two hundred were injured on this gruesome incident. But the administration further falsely implicated Laxman Nayak in a case of murder and the death sentence was pronounced on him on 13th November, 1942.He was hanged to death on 29th March 1943 in Berhampur Jail.