Chittagong armoury raid
Encyclopedia
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
.
, and 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), who was jailed for his part in the uprising and held in the Andaman Islands, but released in 1940.
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 the British Raj
in India. Firearms retailers were also to be raided, while rail and communication lines were to be severed.
, while another group of ten men led by Lokenath Bal
took the Auxiliary Forces armoury. However, they could not locate ammunition. Revolutionaries also succeeded in cutting telephone and telegraph wires and disrupting the movement of the trains. Some sixty-five revolutionaries took part in the raid, which was undertaken in the name of the Indian Republican Army, Chittagong Branch. After the raids, the revolutionary groups gathered outside the police armoury where Surjiya 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.
Over eighty British Colonial troops and twelve revolutionaries were killed in the ensuing gunfight. Surjiya Sen dispersed his men to neighbouring villages in small groups, and the revolutionaries escaped accordingly. A few of the revolutionaries fled to Calcutta, while some were arrested.
Some of the revolutionaries managed to reorganize their broken organisation. On 24 September 1932, eight young rebels led by Pritilata Waddedar attacked the European Club, killing one woman. During 1930-32, 22 officials and 220 others were killed by revolutionaries in separate incidents.
movie Chattagram Astragar Lunthan was made on the Chittagong armoury raid. It was directed by Nirmal Chowdhury.
In 2010, a Hindi movie, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
was made on the Chittagong armoury raid. It was directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, staring Abhishek Bachchan and supported by Deepika Padukone. It was a period thriller, based on the book Do and Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34 by Manini Chatterjee.
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
(in present-day Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
)
armoury in Bengal province of British India, by armed revolutionaries
Revolutionary movement for Indian independence
The Revolutionary movement for Indian independence is often a less-highlighted aspect of the Indian independence movement -- the underground revolutionary factions. The groups believing in armed revolution against the ruling British fall into this category. The revolutionary groups were...
led by Surya Sen
Surya Sen
Surya Sen was a prominent Bengali freedom fighter, an Indian independence activist and the chief architect of anti-British freedom movement in Chittagong, Bengal...
.
The raiders
The raiders were members of revolutionary groups believing in armed uprisings for Indian independence to liberate India from British colonial rule. The group was led by Masterda Surya SenSurya Sen
Surya Sen was a prominent Bengali freedom fighter, an Indian independence activist and the chief architect of anti-British freedom movement in Chittagong, Bengal...
, and included Ganesh Ghosh
Ganesh Ghosh
Ganesh Ghosh was a Bengali Indian independence activist, revolutionary and politician.-Biography:Ganesh Ghosh hailed from Chittagong, now in Bangladesh. In 1922, he took admission in the Bengal Technical Institute in Calcutta. Later, he became a member of the Chittagong Jugantar party...
, Lokenath Bal
Lokenath Bal
Lokenath Bal was an Indian independence activist and a member of the armed resistance movement led by Surya Sen, which carried out the Chittagong armoury raid in 1930. Later, he joined the Indian National Congress...
, Nirmal Sen, Ambika Chakrobarty
Ambika Chakrobarty
Ambika Chakrabarty was a Bengali Indian independence movement activist and revolutionary. Later, he was a leader of the Communist Party of India and a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.-Revolutionary activities:...
, Naresh Roy, Sasanka Datta, Ardhendu Dastidar, Harigopal Bal
Harigopal Bal
Harigopal Bal or Baul was a Bengali revolutionary who took part in revolutionary activities against British rule in India....
(Tegra), Tarakeswar Dastidar, Ananta Singh
Ananta Singh
Ananta Lal Singh was an Indian independence movement activist, who participated in the Chittagong armoury raid in 1930. Later, he founded a far-left radical communist group, the Revolutionary Communist Council of India....
, Jiban Ghoshal, Anand Gupta, Pritilata Waddedar
Pritilata Waddedar
Pritilata Waddedar was a Bengali anti-British revolutionary from what is now Bangladesh, who became a martyr for the liberation of her motherland....
and Kalpana Dutta. Also among them was 14-year-old Subodh Roy
Subodh Roy
Subodh Roy was a Bengali Indian independence activist, revolutionary and politician.- Biography :Subodh Roy hailed from Chittagong, now in Bangladesh...
(died August 27, 2006), who was jailed for his part in the uprising and held in the Andaman Islands, but released in 1940.
The plan
Surya SenSurya Sen
Surya Sen was a prominent Bengali freedom fighter, an Indian independence activist and the chief architect of anti-British freedom movement in Chittagong, Bengal...
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 the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
in India. Firearms retailers were also to be raided, while rail and communication lines were to be severed.
The raid
The plan was put into action at 10 o'clock on April 18, 1930. The police armoury was captured by a group of revolutionaries led by Ganesh GhoshGanesh Ghosh
Ganesh Ghosh was a Bengali Indian independence activist, revolutionary and politician.-Biography:Ganesh Ghosh hailed from Chittagong, now in Bangladesh. In 1922, he took admission in the Bengal Technical Institute in Calcutta. Later, he became a member of the Chittagong Jugantar party...
, while another group of ten men led by Lokenath Bal
Lokenath Bal
Lokenath Bal was an Indian independence activist and a member of the armed resistance movement led by Surya Sen, which carried out the Chittagong armoury raid in 1930. Later, he joined the Indian National Congress...
took the Auxiliary Forces armoury. However, they could not locate ammunition. Revolutionaries also succeeded in cutting telephone and telegraph wires and disrupting the movement of the trains. Some sixty-five revolutionaries took part in the raid, which was undertaken in the name of the Indian Republican Army, Chittagong Branch. After the raids, the revolutionary groups gathered outside the police armoury where Surjiya 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 revolutionaries were surrounded by several thousand British Colonial troops while taking shelter in Jalalabad hills on the afternoon of April 22, 1930.Over eighty British Colonial troops and twelve revolutionaries were killed in the ensuing gunfight. Surjiya Sen dispersed his men to neighbouring villages in small groups, and the revolutionaries escaped accordingly. A few of the revolutionaries fled to Calcutta, while some were arrested.
Some of the revolutionaries managed to reorganize their broken organisation. On 24 September 1932, eight young rebels led by Pritilata Waddedar attacked the European Club, killing one woman. During 1930-32, 22 officials and 220 others were killed by revolutionaries in separate incidents.
The armoury raid trial
The mass trial of those arrested during and after the raids concluded January 1932 and the judgment was delivered March 1, 1932. 12 of the defendants were sentenced to deportation for life, 2 others received three year sentences, and the remaining 32 individuals were acquitted.Capture and death of Surjiya Sen
The Chittagong revolutionary group suffered a fatal blow when Masterda Surjiya Sen was arrested on February 16, 1933 from Gairala village, after a tip-off from inside the group. He was tried and subsequently hanged on January 12, 1934.Film adaptations
In 1949, a BengaliBengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
movie Chattagram Astragar Lunthan was made on the Chittagong armoury raid. It was directed by Nirmal Chowdhury.
In 2010, a Hindi movie, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey is a Hindi period piece film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles. It is based on the book Do And Die by Manini Chatterjee, based on the Chittagong Uprising of 1930. The film has been shot mostly in Goa along...
was made on the Chittagong armoury raid. It was directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, staring Abhishek Bachchan and supported by Deepika Padukone. It was a period thriller, based on the book Do and Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34 by Manini Chatterjee.
Further reading
- Chatterjee, Manini (2000). Do and Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34, New Delhi: Penguin, ISBN 9780140290677.