It was a Sunday evening, February 20, 1944, when agents and police from Petrovaradin suddenly carried out an arrest in Dragutinovo. By around 6 PM, they had detained the Psoder family: Milan, Lina, Ljubica, and Svetozar. It was rumored that they had been betrayed by an acquaintance from Kikinda.
Shortly after, SKOJ members from "Plevna" were also taken to the local administration: Vera Mirkova, Branka Stanaćeva, Bojana Lukačeva, Smilja Mirkova, and Smiljka Bočarski. It later became known that Špiler had been aware of their existence and activities since March 1943 but had delayed their arrest for unknown reasons.
That same evening, Vasa Stanaćev and Stevan Popov were arrested. The police had a list of individuals to apprehend, including Milenko Milovanov, the SKOJ secretary, and Milivoj Popov, a member of the local party cell. However, the police did not find them at their homes, so they set up an ambush throughout the night.
Milenko and Milivoj were together that evening. Around 6 PM, they set off on foot through the snow toward Umčić, where a meeting of the local Party cell was expected, attended by Klima. On their way, they encountered members of the District Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, including Emil Kevrešan, Baca, Mita Popović, and Siniša. From them, they learned that arrests had begun in the village.
No one at Umčić had been informed about the arrests, and they were surprised when they heard the news. Klima immediately sent a courier to alert certain areas in order to prevent the "breach" from spreading.
One of the participants in the meeting later recounted the events of February 20 and 21:
"That evening, a meeting of the Local Party Cell of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia was held at the house of Avakum Popov. Throughout the meeting, the hostess, Neva, kept watch on the road leading out of the village. Attendees included Miloš Klima, secretary of the District Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, Avakum Popov as the secretary of the party cell, Borivoj Stanaćev, Desanka Radnova, Milenko Milovanov, and Milivoj Popov, as members of the cell.
The agenda included organizational matters concerning the KP and SKOJ, vigilance against the enemy, the mass mobilization of USAOJ and AFŽ, and updates on recent events. The meeting lasted until nearly 10 PM, when a discussion began about the recent arrests in the village, speculating on the causes.
After 10 PM, Milenko stood up, mentioning he had other errands in the village. Miloš warned him to be cautious about his movements. After Milenko left, the remaining members continued their conversation for a short time before Klima eventually departed from Umčić. We were not informed of the events in the village until the next morning."
The next morning, before dawn, the narrator set out for the village, heading toward his house. Along the way, he met Milorad Stanaćev, who told him that the police had been looking for him the night before, and, unable to find him, they had arrested his father. Upon hearing this, the narrator quickly left the village and took a detour back to Umčić. However, the police were already there. He made his way toward Bočar. There, hidden in the dense branches of a willow, he observed the situation unfold.
Around noon, the fascists passed through the area and conducted a search of some farms, including Milan Subotić's on "Prečki." By midday, they were returning along the same route, but when several Umčić residents had hidden in a snow-covered ditch, expecting police arrests, the police did not stop in the settlement but hastily continued on their way.
During this time, several illegal members of the District and County Committees of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, along with Klima, were sitting by the window at Milica Terzina’s house, observing the police movements and ready to resist if necessary.
The narrator, cold and with inadequate footwear, continued on his way to Iđoš, fearing detection by passersby, but he could not find anyone to make contact with. He eventually decided to return to Dragutinovo. While passing through the snow-covered fields, he changed direction toward "Galad," where he spent the night at Stoje Veskov's farm.
The next day, he encountered Mita Berbakov’s farm, "Mušice," where he met several members of the District Committee and a group of illegal fighters from Kikinda. From them, he learned the full situation in Dragutinovo, especially the arrest of Milenko Milovanov.
When Milenko arrived in the village from Umčić, he stopped by Svetozar Bešlin's house for some arrangement. Around midnight, he set off for home, unaware that agents and police had been waiting for him since the evening. Svetozar suggested Milenko stay at his place until morning due to the curfew, but Milenko refused.
As he reached his doorstep, the agents grabbed him and bound him. They began beating him in front of his parents. Milenko groaned but remained silent. He was already bruised and swollen by the time they brought him to the local administration. There, he briefly met with other detainees, but the agents rushed to extract as much information as they could from him to continue their arrests and break the SKOJ organization. Despite knowing he was one of the leaders of the organization, they failed to get a word out of him. Milenko heroically resisted the relentless beating and torture by Špiler’s agents. This continued until morning when he had been reduced to a bruised, bloody mass, unrecognizable to his comrades.
In the morning, the prisoners were taken to the railway station. Milenko, along with Vasa Stanaćev and Stevan Popov, was loaded onto a cart. He could not stand, and one of his eyes was blind. He asked for water during the trip, but the agents refused to let him drink.
That same day, Špiler personally took over the interrogation of Milenko. The agents used even harsher methods: they stomped on his stomach, struck his legs and arms with a stick, put his fingers in the door, shocked him with electricity, made him drink salty water, hung him by his feet, and pulled out his hair. But despite everything, Milenko remained silent, unable to speak due to the extreme pain.
This gradual killing lasted for ten days, with Milenko's good health and strong constitution keeping him alive. On the final day, the guards dragged him to his cell, throwing him onto the wet concrete floor, just as they had done in previous days. This was late in the evening. The next morning, when the guards came to take him for more torture, Milenko lay motionless in the same position. A guard kicked him in the ribs and ordered him to stand, but Milenko remained still. He died that morning, suffering terribly, as reported by comrades from a neighboring cell who could do nothing to help him in his final moments.
The news of the brutal murder of SKOJ secretary Milenko Milovanov spread sorrowfully through the village. The youth vowed to avenge their beloved secretary and good friend, "Čuružan."
Milenko had come to Dragutinovo from Čurug as a child. His poor parents had moved here around 1933, during the Great Depression in pre-war Yugoslavia. His father found work at the Joint Mill, and Milenko completed his elementary education and became an apprentice machinist and blacksmith.
Milenko had always been a good student, diligent and hardworking, though his family's poverty prevented him from opening his own workshop. He worked as a journeyman with local craftsmen. As the war approached, he was often seen with other poor youths, including Zoran Belić, Đoka Isakov, Svetozar Bešlin, Jovan Radnović, and others with revolutionary leanings. In this circle, he found an outlet for his rebellious spirit, opposing injustice, violence, poverty, and hardship that he had felt since childhood, particularly during his apprenticeship.
As the country was occupied by fascists, Milenko actively and diligently participated in the preparations for the national uprising, executing tasks like collecting and repairing weapons. By the summer of 1941, he became a member of SKOJ.
Even under the torture of Špiler's agents, Milenko never faltered. He never wavered or showed any sign of weakness, even when the enemy believed they could suppress the people's resistance by murdering thousands of Banat patriots during 1942 and 1943.
In the fall of 1943, the new District Committee, reorganizing the SKOJ structures in Northern Banat, considered Milenko for a position in the County Committee of SKOJ and as secretary of the SKOJ organization in Dragutinovo and Beodra. His skill, courage, and loyalty to the Party and people quickly earned him a place among the most dedicated revolutionary fighters in the Communist Party of Yugoslavia.
In a short time, Milenko accomplished much as secretary. The SKOJ ranks in Dragutinovo and Beodra grew stronger and more unified, and his death did not diminish their resolve. His courage, loyalty, and self-sacrifice for the freedom of his people were etched into the memory of the oppressed youth. As one comrade said: "Milenko Milovanov was our hero. His bravery and sacrifice will inspire us forever."
The village of Dragutinovo and its surroundings honored Milenko Milovanov's memory with a tribute and a vow to continue the struggle for the liberation of their homeland, ensuring that his sacrifice was not in vain.
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