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Revision as of 07:19, 6 December 2010 by 59.160.174.12 (talk) (→The raid)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Chittagong armoury raid was an attempt on April 18, 1930 to raid the armoury of police and auxiliary forces from the Chittagong (in present-day Bangladesh) armoury in Bengal province of British India, by armed revolutionaries led by Surya Sen.
The raiders
The raiders were members of revolutionary groups believing in armed uprisings for Indian independence to liberate India from the oppressive and exploitative British colonial rule. The leader was Masterda Surya Sen. Apart from Surya Sen, the group included Ganesh Ghosh, Lokenath Bal, Nirmal Sen, Ambika Chakrobarty, Naresh Roy, Sasanka Datta, Ardhendu Dastidar, Harigopal Bal (Tegra), Tarakeswar Dastidar, Ananta Singh, Jiban Ghoshal, Anand Gupta, Pritilata Waddedar and Kalpana Dutta. Also among them was 14-year-old Subodh Roy (died August 27, 2006). He too was jailed in the Andaman Islands but released in 1940.
The plan
Surya Sen devised the strategy of capturing the two main armouries in Chittagong and then destroying the telegraph and telephone office, followed by assassination of members of the "European Club", the majority of whom were government or military officials involved in maintaining British Raj in India. Firearms retailers were also to be raided and rail and communication lines doha.
The raid
The plan was put into action at 10 o'clock on April 18, 1930. As per plan, the armoury of the police was captured by a group of revolutionaries led by Ganesh Ghosh and another group of ten, led by Lokenath Bal took over the Auxiliary Force armoury. Unfortunately they could not locate the ammunition. The revolutionaries also succeeded in dislocating telephone and telegraph communications and disrupting the movement of the trains. Total sixtyfive revolutionaries took part in the raid, which was undertaken in the name of the Indian Republican Army, Chittagong branch. After the successful raids, all the revolutionary groups gathered outside the police armoury where Surya Sen took a military salute, hoisted the National Flag and proclaimed a Provisional Revolutionary Government. The revolutionaries left Chittagong town before dawn and marched towards the Chittagong hill ranges, looking for a safe place
Aftermath
After a few days, the police traced some of the revolutionaries. The patriotic revolutionaries were surrounded by several thousand troops while taking shelter in Jalalabad hills on the outskirts of Chittagong on the afternoon of April 22, 1930.
Over eighty British troops and twelve of the revolutionaries were killed in the ensuing gunfight. Surya Sen decided to disperse into neighbouring villages in small groups and the revolutionaries escaped accordingly and a few of the revolutionaries fled to Calcutta, while some revolutionaries were arrested in Chittagong.
Many of the revolutionaries managed to reorganize the broken group. On 24 September 1932, eight young rebels led by Pritilata Waddedar attacked the European Club. During 1930-32, 22 officials and 220 non-officials were killed by the revolutionarists in separate incidents.
The armoury raid cases
The first armoury raid case concluded in January 1932 and the judgement was delivered on March 1, 1932. The sentences were deportation for life for 12, three years' imprisonment for 2 and the rest of a total of 32 persons on trial were acquitted.
Capture and death of Surya Sen
The Chittagong revolutionaries suffered a fatal blow when Masterda Surya Sen was arrested on February 16, 1933 from Gairala village, because of a tip-off from a traitor in the group. He was tried and was hanged on January 12, 1934.
Film Adaptation
Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey is a movie directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar staring Abhishek Bachchan and supported by Deepika Padukone. It is a period thriller, based on the book DO and DIE: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34 by Manini Chatterjee.
Notes
- Chandra, B & others (1998). India's Struggle for Independence 1857-1947, New Delhi: Penguin, ISBN 0-14-101781-9, p.251-2
- Chandra, B & others (1998). India's Struggle for Independence 1857-1947, New Delhi: Penguin, ISBN 0-14-101781-9, p.252
Further reading
- Chatterjee, Manini (2000). Do and Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34, New Delhi: Penguin, ISBN 9780140290677.
http://www.ndtv.com/album/detail/first-look-of-i-khelein-hum-jee-jaan-sey-i-8248/2?cp
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