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 group was led by Masterda Surya Sen, andincluded Ganesh Ghosh, Lokenath Bal, NirmalSen, Ambika Chakrobarty, Naresh Roy, SasankaDatta, Ardhendu Dastidar, Harigopal Bal (Tegra),Tarakeswar Dastidar, Ananta Singh, JibanGhoshal, Anand Gupta, Pritilata Waddedar andKalpana Dutta. Also among them was 14-year-oldSubodh Roy (died August 27, 2006), who wasjailed for his part in the uprising and held in theAndaman Islands, but released in 1940.

SURYA SEN (ANANT SINGH)LOKNATH BOL

Ambika Chakrobarty Hari Gopal Bal

Pritilata Waddedar

Kalpana Dutta Subodh Roy

Ganesh Gosh

Revolutionaries.

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 the British Raj in India. Firearms retailers

were also to be raided, while rail and communication lines were to be severed.

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 Ghosh, while another group of ten men led by Lokenath Bal took the Auxiliary Forces armoury.

Cutting of telephone and telegraph wires and disrupting the movement of the trains was done.

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 Suriya 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.

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. Suriya Sen dispersed his men to neighboring villages in small groups, and the revolutionaries escaped accordingly. A few of the revolutionaries fled to Calcutta, while some were arrested.

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

THOSE WHO WERE KILLED.

• The Revolutionaries divided themselves among small groups and pledged to fought for martyrdom.

• Get ready. Everyone go to your own section & take lying position. Remember- winning is our destiny. We are revolutionaries. We never gave in to imperialist power & we will not today. By any means, we must win.“(Gen. Loknath Bol)

TEGRA & MOTI KANUNGO NARESH ROY, TRIPURA SEN & BIDHU BHATTACHARJEE

PROBHAS BOL, SASHANKA DUTTA &NIRMAL LALA

JITENDRA DASGUPTA, MADHUSUDANDUTTA & PULIN BIKASH GHOSH

Even though Surya Sen managed to escape from the eye of British, he was fatally captured on February 1933 in Gairala Village.

The death sentence to Surya Sen completely shattered the dreams of his members who had cherished a dream to free motherland from clutches of foreign supremacy.

Surya Sen was hanged along with another patriot Tarakeshwar Dastidar on January 12, 1934.

These were the last words Surya Sen

addressed to his friends through a letter -

• “Death is knocking at my door. My mind is flying away towards infinity … this is the moment to

myself to embrace death as the dearest of friends. In this happy, sacred and crucial

moment, what am I leaving for you all? Only one thing, my dream, a golden dream, the dream of a Free India. Dear friends, march ahead; never

retrace your step. Days of servitude are receding. Freedom’s illuminating ray is visible

over there. Arise and never give way to despair. Success is sure to come.”

I've got a woman's ability to stick to a job

and get on with it when everyone else walks off

and leaves it

Role of Women in Revolutionary Movements.

women were drawn in large numbers into violent,revolutionary struggles In India against Colonial rule.

The entire history of the freedom movement is replete withthe saga of bravery, sacrifice and political sagacity of hundredsand thousands of women of our country.

Role as Carriers of arms and ammunitions.

Usage of domestic apparel to save Revolutionaries.

Easy access to Govt. Buildings.

Pritilata Waddedar

Pritilata Waddedar (1911-1932) was born in Chittagong (Bangladesh) in 1911- She plunged into politics at an early age and joined various student organisations.

Joined Surya Sen.

Pritilata and her comrades organised several terrorist attacks in Bengal, thus creating panic among the colonial rulers and challenging their invincibility.

The hallmark of Preetilata's career was the courageous attack on the Paharthali European Club at Chittagong on September 24, 1932.

Pritilata preferred death to confinement and when she realised she could no longer hide, she consumed potassium cyanide in 1932.

Kalpana Dutta.

Kalpana Datta, (1913-1995) a revolutionary, was born at Sripur of Chittagong district on 27 July 1913 in a middle-class family.

Having matriculated in 1929 from Chittagong, Kalpana Datta went to Calcutta and joined the BETHUNE COLLEGE. Greatly

influenced by the examples set by the revolutionaries KSHUDIRAM

BASU and Kanailal Datta, she soon joined the Chhatri Sanggha. PURNENDU DASTIDAR drew her into the revolutionary circle of Mastarda SURYA SEN.

After Chittagong Raid Kalpana hurried back to Chittagong and came in contact with Surya Sen in May 1931.

Kalpana was entrusted with the safe carrying of heavy explosive materials from Calcutta.

She secretly prepared 'gun-cotton' in order to plant a dynamite fuse under the court building and in jail to free the revolutionary leaders, who were being tried in a special Tribunal.

The plot was uncovered and certain restrictions were imposed on Kalpana's movements.

Trained in Revolver shooting.

In September 1931 Surya Sen decided to entrust Kalpana and Pritilata with a plan to attack the European Club at Chittagong but was arrested before a week.

she was released on Bail, underwent underground.

While meeting on February 1933 with Surya sen they were surrounded, Surya sen was Captured while she along with Manindra Datta, escaped

On 19 May 1933 Kalpana, with some comrades, was arrested and was sentenced to transportation for life.

Released in 1939 she graduated from the Calcutta University in 1940.

She joined CPI and married C.P. JOSHI.

Served in kisan and women fronts of CPI in Chittagong, she migrated to Bengal after 1947.

Kalpana Datta breathed her last at New Delhi on 8 February 1995.

Durga BhabiAs member of the Hindustan Republican Association, Durga bhabhi worked with the zeal of a missionary. A meticulous planner, her plans never failed.

Appeared like a meteor on the firmament of freedom struggle in India and wielded tremendous influence on revolutionaries such as Bhagat Singh, Ashfaqullah and Chandrashekhar Azad.

Her name was Durgavati Devi and she was the wife of professor Bhagvati Charan Vohra.

Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Durga bhabhi observe the 11th anniversary of Kartar Singh Sarabha’s martyrdom on November 16, 1926 at Lahore.

Her most glorious moment came on December 17, 1928 when Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev went to Durga bhabhi’s house after killing Saunders.

She acted as Bhagat Singh’s wife and successfully fled from Lahore to Calcutta and Rajguru acted as servant.

December 18, 1928 will always be remembered as a red-letter day in the history of the freedom movement since Calcutta Mail was the historic train that created a sensation in the whole country.

After the arrest and death sentence of Bhagat Singh’s and his comrades Durga Bhabi openly came out in the field.

She decided to kill Lord Hailey, an ex-Governor of Punjab, a staunch enemy of revolutionaries. Although the Governor escaped, his aides were injured.

She even pleaded to Gandhi Ji for their lives.

Her husband died while trying to fit a dynamite in jail where Bhagat Singh and his Comrades were imprisoned.

Durga bhabhi was arrested and awarded three years imprisonment.

She died in Ghaziabad on October 15, 1999 at the age of 92.

Bhagat Singh Rajguru Sukhdev

References.

The Tribune, Sunday reading,november 14,1999 by K.K

Khuler.

Role of women in India's struggle for freedom by

Siddhartha Dash.

Bangalpedia, national encyclopedia of Bangladesh.

Modern India by Sumit Sarkar.

From Plessey to Partion by Shekhar Badopadhiay.

Indian Women’s Movement by Aparna Basu.

06-03-2012PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY