Friday, 23 March 2018


ALIPORE BOMB CASE-1908-09


The Alipore or Manicktolla Bomb Case was an important Court Trial in the history of  India’s Freedom Struggle. The Partition of Bengal sparked public anger against the British which led to nationalist campaign by groups of revolutionaries, led by Aurobindo Ghosh, Rashbehari Bose and Bagha Jatin forming a group 'Yugantar'. Hemchandra Kanungo, trained at Paris, provided the technical inputs of making bombs. The British cracked down hard on the activists and the conflict came to a head on April 30, 1908 when Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki (alias Dinesh Roy) attempted to kill Magistrate Kingsford. However, the bomb missed its target and killed two British women, the wife and daughter of Barrister Pringle Kennedy. On May 2, 1908, Police arrested initial 33 suspects after raiding the property of Aurobindo Ghosh and Manicktolla garden premises. Many activists, including Aurobindo Ghosh were arrested on charges of planning and conspiracy and were imprisoned in a solitary confinement in Alipore Jail. After an intense man-hunt, Khudiram Bose was arrested but Prafulla Chaki shot himself. The trial soon began against the 49 accused. 206 witnesses were called; around 400 documents were filed with the Court, and more than 5000 exhibits were produced including Bombs, Revolvers, and Acids. The trial continued for a year (1908-1909), and Khudiram was found guilty and later hanged. On May 6, 1909, Judge Beachcroft delivered the verdict involving over 36 suspects. Barindra Kumar Ghosh and Ullaskar Dutta were awarded death sentences but later commuted to life and deported to Cellular Jail along with others. They were repatriated from Port Blair to various Jails in mainland India, except Hem Chandra Das, Ullaskar Dutta and Indu Bhushan Roy. Hem Chandra Das was repatriated in 1920. As a result of the physical and psychological torture on these Political Prisoners, Indu Bhushan Roy committed suicide on 28 April 1912 and Ullaskar Dutta became insane and was repatriated in 1913.

In this case following Political Prisioners were deported to the Cellular Jail in Andamans. Their Permanent Incarceration No and other details are as under:-
1.      
31549
Barindra Kumar Ghosh
Dr. K.D Ghosh
Hooghly, Bengal
2.      
31552
Ullaskar Dutta
Dwija Das Dutta
Shibpur, Bengal
3.      
31596
Upendra Nath Banerjee
Rama Nath Banerjee
French Chandernagar, Bengal
4.      
31551
Bhibhuti Bhushan Sarkar
Sarada Sarkar
Nadia, Bengal
5.      
31550
Hrishikesh Kanjilal
Alishanath Kanjilal
Shrirampore, Bengal
6.      
31801
Birendra Chandra Sen alias Durga Das
Kailash Chandra Sen
Sylhet, Assam
7.      
31597
Sudhir Kumar Sarkar
-
Bengal
8.      
31554
Abinash Chandra Bhattacharjee
Uma Chandra Bhattacharjee
Sinthee, Calcutta
9.      
31553
Hem Chandra Das Kanungo
Chetra Mohan Das
Midnapore, Bengal
10.                        
31555
Indu Bhushan Roy
Taraknath Roy
Khulna, Bengal
11.                        
NA
Nirpada Roy
Rajani Kanta Roy
Nadia, Bengal



Monday, 13 November 2017

Cellular Jail- a Memorial to the Nation


Penal Settlement

The idea of establishing a penal settlement in these islands was germinated in the minds of the British Rulers in 1857, to deal effectively with those who revolted against their paramount power during India's First War of Independence. A Committee of experts consisting of Dr.F.J.Mouat, Dr.G.R.Playfair and Lt.J.S.Heatcote visited the islands for a survey on 8th Dec. 1857 and submitted a report to the Govt. of India on 15th January1858 and the Union Jack was hoisted on 22nd January 1858 by Capt.H.man, the Executive Engineer, who was deputed to take formal possession of the islands.

First Batch
Thus the penal settlement started with clearing operation on the small island of Chatham, only to be abandoned due to scarcity of fresh water. The site was then shifted to Ross Island. The first batch of 200 convicts arrived in the island on 10th March 1858 abroad the frigate 'Semiraimis' under the overall charge of Dr.J.P.Walker who was assisted in his task by a guard of 60 naval brigademen, two native doctors and a native overseer. Subsequently, the prisoners were also transported by three more ships- Roman Empire (171), Dalhousie (140) and Edward (130).

           The task of cutting and clearing the jungle was given to the political prisoners, most of whom belonged to wealthy and professional families - Zamindars, Nawabs, Writers and poets, among others. The hardships and toil, which they were put to, were severe and often quite unbearable.

          The British Government always viewed ways of these freedom fighters with fear and suspicion and had no intention to ever allow them to go back to the mainland. The prisoners were initially kept in the open enclosures and were paid one anna and nine pies per day, as a subsistence allowance. The allowance was to cover their expenses for food, clothing and so on. Viper Island was selected as the place where members of Chaingangs (the convicts being chained together and confined at night) were put on the hardest labour.  A jail and a gallows were constructed in the Viper Island. 
   Though the First War of Independence was quelled, the everlasting flame for achieving freedom could not be put out. Freedom Fighters taking part in Wahabi Movement, participants of Manipur Revolt, and a large number of Burmese from Tharawadda, who had revolted against British rule were also transported to the penal settlement in the Andaman.
    As the time passed and the settlement grew in size, the authorities found it difficult to enforce strict discipline. Safe custody of freedom fighters became a great problem. It was therefore decided to construct a jail.

Construction of the Cellular Jail

A two-member committee headed by Sir Charles J.Lyall and Sir, A.S.Lethbridge visited Port Blair in 1890 and recommended the construction of jail building in Port Blair. The construction of Cellular Jail building started in 1893 by the settlement order No.423 dated 13th September 1893. It was completed in 1905-06.

          Spread as seven spokes of a bicycle wheel, this unique three-storied structure was the first its kinds in India. 663 cells in the jail were specially built for solitary confinement of the prisoners. Later 30 additional cells were constructed. In the center of the seven wings of the Cellular Jail was built the Central tower. Each cell wing was sealed off by an iron grill door.Thus a single guard on duty could supervise all the seven wings from his vantage position.  Another unique feature of jail was the total absence of communication between prisoners in the different wings since the front of one row of cells faced the back of the wings in front.


Each cell measured 13 ½ ft. by 7 ft. and had an iron grill door. A 3-ft. by 1 ft. ventilator, 9 ft. from the floor provided some light and air. The cells in the jail were in a row. The verandah about 4 ft. wide which ran all along the front was sealed by iron railing fixed into the arched pillars, that support the roof of the varandah. All the seven corridors culminated at the Central Tower fixed by an iron gate to central entrance and exit. The cells were secured with iron bolt and lock from outside in a manner, which made impossible for the prisoners to unlock it, no matter however they tried. Each of three storeys of the seven wings had wardens for night watch. 21 wardens simultaneously manned the watch duty and vigil throughout day night. Besides, sentries in the Central Tower also kept watch.

          To accelerate construction work, about 600 convicts from different stations like Viper, Navy Bay, Phoenix Bay, Birchgunj and Dundus Point etc, were engaged. About 20,000 cubic feet of local broken stone was used, while building materials were also brought in from Burma. Some 30,00,000 bricks made Dundus point and Navy Bay Brick Kilns were used to construct the jail.


         A two-storied building at left side near the entrance of the jail was also constructed to be used as jail Hospital. On the plinth of this building now stands Martyrs' Column. Near the compound wall at right of the main entrance were the gallows, capable of hanging three persons simultaneously with a separate door in the outer compound wall to carry out corpses. Adjacent to the gallows were kitchens with Hindu and Muslim sections. A well was dug in the yard between two sections for the supply of sweet water. At the main entrance of the jail stands the two-storied administrative Block.The jail was manned by the Jailor and Deputy Jailor, assisted by petty officials called Tendals, Jamadar, warder and Petty Officers, who used to be incharge of the convicts. Powers of Superintendent of Jail were vested in the Chief Commissioner, but later these were delegated to the Senior Medical Officer.

       Many charismatic personalities were imprisoned in this Jail. Savarkar brothers, Hotilal Verma, Babu Ram Hari, Pandit Permanand, Ladha Ram, Ullaskar Dutt, Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Bhai Permanand, Indu Bhushan Roy, Prithvi Singh Azad, Pulin Das, Trailokyanath Chakravarthy, Gurumukh Singh among others. The catalogue is long and distinguished. Groups of revolutionaries involved in Alipore Bomb case, Nasik Conspiracy case, Lahore Conspiracy case, Chittagoan Armoury Raid case, Inter-provincial conspiracy case, Gaya Conspiracy case etc.  were brought to the Cellular Jail with long terms of imprisonment. These men and women so convinced of their nation's destiny and so willing to give the utmost of themselves found themselves confronted with the cruel Jailor, David Barrie, an Irishman who believed that it was his God-given destiny to suppress these enemies of Her Majesty- the Queen with violence and vile abuse.

Horrors of Prison

          The work quotas given to the Political Prisoners were frequently impossible to complete within specified time and the dire punishment followed for those who failed to meet them. Punishment was barbaric. Torture and flogging were frequently resorted to on iron triangular frame, gunny bag uniforms, unhygienic diet, bar fetters, crossbar fetters and neck ring shackle and leg iron and chains were other deterrents for those who refused to submit to the brutal wardens.  The punishment varied from handcuffs for a week and fetters for six months to solitary confinement.

         The freedom fighters brought to the Cellular Jail rebelled against the tyranny of David Barrie. Mass hunger strikes were resorted to especially between 1937 and 1938.Three person died. The last strike began in July  1937 continued for 45 day. The strike was terminated on the intervention of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindra Nath Tagore. The Government decided to close down the penal settlement and all the political prisoners of Cellular Jail were repatriated to their respective states on mainland India by January 1938.                                
        
Japanese occupation of the Islands(1942-45)
             The Japanese occupied the Andaman and Nicobar Islands during World War II from 23rd March 1942 to 7th October 1945. They put to death many hundreds of people in the most barbaric way, whenever anyone was suspected of sympathizing with the British. Many of the educated persons who were rounded up as suspected spies were kept in the Cellular Jail and were later shot dead. Many were buried in a common grave. The Humfraygunj Martyrs' Memorial today stands as a mute witness to the inhuman treatment meted out to the citizens of Andamans. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose visited the islands as Head of the Provisional Government of India on 29th December 1943. During his three days on the islands, he visited the Cellular Jail and stopped the punishment of prisoners without proper trial. Netaji hoisted tricolour flag of India at Andaman for the first time and christened the Andaman and the Nicobar Islands as "Swaraj" and "Shaheed" Dweep respectively.
   
Cellular Jail-a National Memorial

           After Independence in 1947, many of the erstwhile political prisoners visited the islands. Their association - "Ex-Andaman Political Prisoner's Fraternity Circle" took up the issue with the Government of India, who accepting this proposal agreed to preserve it as National Memorial without making any substantial change. The Memorial was dedicated to the nation by the then Prime Minister of India on 11th February 1979.

    A Martyrs column has been raised in the premises of the Cellular Jail in memory of all Freedom Fighters and martyrs .Today the entrance block of the National Memorial houses, Photograph Gallery and Museum, which displays articles of every day use by the prisoners and the authorities to maintain strict discipline in the jail. The first floor of the building has an Art gallery and a Library on Freedom Movement. Netaji Gallery and Old photographs Gallery has also been set up in the premises of National Memorial. Two Swatantrya Jyots -eternal flame of Freedom  have been erected in the vicinity of Cellular Jail in memory of all Freedom Fighters and martyrs.

    An added attraction in the National Memorial is the programme of sound and light  (son-et-Lumiere). This spell-binding show is centered around the wandering spirit of the Cellular Jail which takes the spectators on a Tour-de-Galoe.

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