12 January. What comes in your mind? Is it National Youth Day? Is it the birthday of one of the greatest Indians ever born, Swami Vivekananda? Well, you’re half correct, not because the above facts are wrong, but because 83 years ago, on this very night, a barely 40 year old man was roughed up in his prison cell, and tortured to the extent that even the terrorists of ISIS would look like angels. His joints, whether of elbow or knees, along with his teeth were broken apart by a hammer, his finger and toenails were mercilessly plucked out. By the time THEY took HIM out for the hanging, HE was unconscious after this ordeal. Death to this man was more than just a welcome relief.
So who was this man? And who were his brutal, cannibalistic executioners? What was his crime? He managed to liberate his hometown, with barely 65 other like-minded fighters for company, most of whom did not even cross the age of eighteen years! His actions were such that the Britishers couldn’t enter his hometown for one full week. Better, armed with bare Enfield matchlock musket rifles, and some Colt revolvers, these 66 revolutionaries managed to defeat a huge combined regiment of East Assam Rifles and Gurkha Regiment, comprising 22000 soldiers, well armed with .303 Bolt Action Rifles, and submachine guns manufactured by Lewis & Vickers.
But who was he? A strapping military general, with a devious mind that managed to elude the British forces for more than 5 years, until he fell to betrayal in 1933? Was he some defence expert? You’d laugh on the answer, but this man was a mere schoolmaster, with a receding hairline, who terrorized the British so much that they had to resort to cannibalism to show their might on that unfortunate night of 12th January 1934, Friday.
YES, the executioners were cannibal, British imperialists, and that man who was such a nightmare for these imperialists was ‘Masterda’ Surjya Kumar Sen.
Born on 22nd March 1894, Thursday, in Naopara, under Raozan sub district near Chittagong, British India (now Bangladesh), Surjya Kumar Sen was a man of modest means. His father, Shri Ramaniranjan Sen was a teacher as well. Right from childhood, Surjya Sen (or Surya Sen for simple understanding) believed in simple living, high thinking. By 1918, he had completed his Bachelor of Arts from Behrampore College (now Krishnath College) in Murshidabad district, Bengal. While in college, he was attracted towards revolutionary ideals, and joined the Anushilan Samiti. After completing his studies, Surjya Sen returned to Chittagong, and began teaching in National School, Nandakanan.
Initially, like many Indians, Surjya Kumar Sen, like many others, was enchanted by the Non Cooperation Movement, and participated enthusiastically in the same. However, when Gandhiji called off the movement, he went back to the revolutionary ways and devised of ways to topple the British Empire, at least from his hometown of Chittagong.
Many a history books say that Surjya Kumar Sen and his band of followers were diehard communists. However, if we start scratching the dirt of the history pages, the truth is far from it. Almost all of the revolutionaries in Masterda’s Indian Republican Army were die hard right wing activists, and fervent devotees of Goddess Kali, the violent form of the Goddess of Power (Shakti), Maa Durga. In a first, Masterda also included women like Shanti Ghosh, Bina Das, Kalpana Datta, and Pritilata Waddedar in his band of revolutionaries, i.e. the Indian Republican Army, which comprised bold youngsters from all walks of life : Ananta Lal Singh, wrestler cum physical education instructor, Ganesh Ghosh, textile merchant, Nirmal Sen, accountant and ex Congress worker, Lokenath Bal, President of Chittagong College Students Union, Pritilata Waddedar, student of Calcutta University and an expert on explosives along with Kalpana Datta.
That wasn’t all. The band of revolutionaries comprised a majority of followers, most of whom were still teenagers! From fiery Harigopal Bal [nicknamed Tegra for his tiger like attitude], to innocent Subodh Roy, to contact friendly soccer enthusiast Rajat Sen [who had contacts ranging from natives to the highest in the British establishments!]to gutsy Binod Bihari Chowdhury [who outlived all of his comrades by living upto 102 years], to bold boys like Jibon ‘Makhon’ Ghoshal and medical student Naresh Ray, each and every revolutionary in Indian Republican Army was trained meticulously, and in such a way, that even if one of them was caught, they could divulge only miniscule details of their plan, and the main plan would remain unaffected. This way, a schoolmaster, all of barely 35-36 years, had created a guerrilla army that would soon liberate Chittagong from British rule, in a way none could anticipate.
For those, who think Masterda might have been a mere fundamentalist, you’re entirely wrong, mate. Owing to the apparent loyalty towards the Empire, the British rarely doubted the Muslim community. Sensing this opportunity, Masterda chose a few die hard patriotic teenagers from the same, among whom Nawab Mincha, Mir Ali carried on the second phase of Masterda, without ever being caught. Sadly, these boys were never given their due in independent India. Masterda practiced religious tolerance of those levels, which is sadly absent from his homeland, Bengal, as of today.
18th April, 1930. The day was Good Friday, and inspired by the successful Easter Uprising in Ireland exactly 14 years ago, in Dublin, Ireland, which led to the independence of Ireland, the Indian Republican Army decided to raid every single seat of British imperialism in Chittagong. Likewise, they chose five places to attack, as noted below:-
- Nangalkote Railway Line, which connected Calcutta to Chittagong. Disrupting this would break Chittagong away from Calcutta, denying all help to British forces.
- Pahartali European Club, a reserve for Europeans. IRA planned to exact revenge for Jallianwala Bagh Massacre here
- Telegraph & Telecommunications Office, which carried
- Auxiliary Forces of India Armoury, which housed modern weapons such as Lewis Submachine Guns, .303 Rifles
- Police Lines Reserve Armoury, which housed pistols, revolvers, and Enfield matchlock musket rifles
At 10 p.m., the band of 66 revolutionaries [except for Kalpana Datta, who was forbidden from moving to Chittagong by her parents, and Tarakeswar Dastidar, who was nursing his injuries] made the move. The fishplates connecting the Railway Line were ripped apart by a team led by Jugantar Party member, Shri Lalmohan Sen, all of just 21 years old. At the same time, a team led by the most experienced member, ex Congressman Ambika Chakraborti raided the Telephone & Telegraph Office. Overpowering the two guards present, they ripped apart the lines and burnt the complex down.
A team led by Masterda, Ganesh Ghosh & Ananta Lal Singh raided the Reserve Police Lines Armoury. Their war cries were so high that the sleeping sentries sprang up and ran in a jiffy, anticipating a huge horde, where there were only twenty to thirty personnel. The whole armoury was ransacked within minutes, with almost each revolutionary having a pistol, a revolver and a musket rifle, with enough ammunition. However, fate had something else.
The team for AFI armoury raid, led by Lokenath Bal, posing as a British Army Major owing to his fair complexion, and Nirmal Sen, posing as a British Army officer, successfully overtook the premises, along with a small box of cartridges. However, to their shock, they found only the weapons, not the ammunition, without which the armoury was as good as nothing! The European Club team met with another shocker : Since it was Good Friday, the Britishers left early, giving a clear indication that the imperialists might be warned, and they were.
The imperialists, led by District Magistrate HM Wilkinson, Captain Taitt, and DIG of Chittagong Police C. Farmer, inspected the AFI armoury, only to be met with bullets. As soon as Masterda knew of the setback, he decided to stay no more in the town, and assembling all at the Police Lines Armoury, he announced the declaration of a provisional national revolutionary government of the Indian Republican Army. Bringing down the Union Jack, the Congress tricolor was hoisted, and was given a three gun salute. The team then retreated to Jalalabad Hills for refuge.
Some say the revolution failed. If that was so, how could the British not enter the town of Chittagong for four straight days. Everyone, from government officials, to armymen, took refuge in ships a distance away from the port of Chittagong, and that was evidence enough, of the success, however limited, of the army of committed individuals, led by Masterda.
Four days later, the revolutionaries met a combined regiment of paramilitary soldiers and Gurkha regiment. However, to the Britishers’ shock, the 65 revolutionaries, armed with mere muskets and revolvers, successfully beat back the attack at Jalalabad Hills, forcing the British to retreat, although that cost the lives of 12 bravehearts, including both of Lokenath’s younger brothers, Probhash & Tegra, along with Naresh, Bidhu, among others.
Disappointed by the loss, but not dejected, Masterda launched phase two of the revolutionary attacks : attack through guerrilla warfare. Much before Quentin Tarantino’s fictional ‘Inglourious Basterds’, it was Masterda’s soldiers, who terrorized the Britishers like hell, killing almost 50-75 officers and 100-250 of their Indian subordinates. Had it not been for a treacherous Netra Sen, who betrayed Masterda to the British, leading to his interest at Gairala in February 1933, Masterda could’ve slowly, but steadily paralyzed British imperialism at least in Bengal. Masterda was tried in the court after most of the other participants in the Chittagong uprising were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment, and consequently, sentenced to death. He was hanged after being brutally tortured, along with Tarakeswar Dastidar, on the unfortunate night of 12 January 1934.
Today, 83 years later, as his beautiful Bengal is being ravaged by Islamic fundamentalists, hand in glove with apathetic, pseudo liberal politicians led by unfortunately Bengal’s Chief Minister, Mamata Bannerjee, one must look back at the person, who knew the answers to the menace of terrorism. Today, Bengal badly needs another Surjya Kumar Sen, who can give the murderers of humanity, a taste of their own medicine. The question is : CAN THEY?
Source:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surya_Sen
Chittagong, the Summer of 1930, by Manoshi Bhattacharya, published by Harper Collins
Do & Die, by Manoshi Bhattacharjee
Chittagong Armoury Raid, by Subodh Roy