প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo A Journal of Humanities & Social Science Published by: Dept. of Bengali Karimganj College, Karimganj, Assam, India Website: www.thecho.in Train Derailment Activities of Assam In 1942 Mrs. Reeta Dutta Hazorika Abstract The Quit India Movement (1942) was wholly different in Assam from the earlier ones. Hatred towards the British administration was spontaneously bursting out during the movement. It was helped by some directions and programme of the movement circulated by the APCC (Assam Pradesh Congress Committee) throughout the province. Many among the Congress volunteers took the path of underground activities. One of the main objectives of the Movement in Assam was to paralyze the communication network and for this the following instruction was issued. “All ways of Communication are to be obstructed. Big bridges are to be broken. Railway lines should be pulled off so that there may be obstruction in the military movement and bringing other articles”. To realize the programme between August 1942 and March 1943 there were a series of train derailment activities in Assam. Background: In the Second World War, articles from the shops and valuables from the aggression of Japanese army to the the ordinary people, by the military men in North East made the situation very tense in a number of places worried and frightened Assam. Rangoon and Singapore were the common people.2 Dangerous driving occupied by the Japanese army from the and indifference of traffic rules, occasional British in May 1942 and bombarded on molestation of women forcible entry into Imphal, Dimapur and Kohima. To stop the residential quarters in drunken states the Japanese aggression thousands of intensified the terror further.3 British and American army were brought In all India level pressure was mounting to Assam, who set up camps in schools, from China, the United States and Britain colleges, forests and even in paddy fields. to solve the issue of the future status of Because of the heavy concentration of the India before the end of the war. In March troops in Assam, public tension was on the 1942, the Prime Minister dispatched Sir increase right from the beginning of 1942.1 Stafford Cripps a member of the War But within a year it reached its climax due Cabinet to India to discuss the British to the increasing insanity attitude of a Government's Draft Declaration. The draft group of armed men. Forcible seizure of granted India a Dominion Status after the Volume-II, Issue-III January 2014 230 প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo ISSN: 2278-5264 war but otherwise conceded few changes can be had. You may take it from me that I to the British Government Act of 1935. am not going to strike a bargain with the The draft was unacceptable to the Viceroy for ministers and the like. I am not Congress Working Committee who going to be satisfied with anything short of rejected it. The failure of the Cripps complete freedom. Here is a Mantra, a Mission further estranged the Congress short one, that I give you. You may and the British Government.4 imprint in your hearts and let every breath Gandhi seized upon the failure of the of yours give expression to it. The Mantra Cripps Mission, the advances of the is: „Do or die‟. We shall either free Indiaor Japanese in South-East Asia and the die in the attempt; we shall not live to see general frustration with the British in the perpetuation of our slavery”.6 It was India. He called for a voluntary British decided that Jawaharlal Nehru was to withdrawal from India. The All India explain on 9th August 1942 to the United Congress Committee assembled in States to scope and contents of the „Quit Allahabad from 29 April to 1 May 1942, to India‟ resolution.7 discuss the resolution of the Working It appears that the Government had Committee. Although Gandhi was absent already finalized their plans to arrest the from the meeting, many of his points were Congress leaders and crush their admitted into the resolution; the most movement and consequently. In the early significant of them being the commitment hours of the morning of 9th August 1942, to non-violence. On 14 July 1942, the Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Congress Working Committee met again Maulana Azad, Sardar Patel, Rajendra at Wardha and resolved that it would Prasad, Acharya Kripalini,8 etc. all authorize Gandhi to take charge of the members of the Congress Working non-violent mass movement. The Committee and other Congress leaders Resolution, generally referred to as the were arrested by the British Government 'Quit India' resolution, was to be approved under the Defence of India Rules.9 by the All India Congress Committee The few leaders who had escaped arrest meeting in Bombay in August.5 went into hiding and tried to guide the The All India Congress Committee met mass movement. Among them were Jai in Bombay on 7 to 8 August 1942 as Prakash Narayan, S. M. Joshi, Aruna Asaf scheduled and ratified the 'Quit India' Ali, Ram Manohar Lohis, Achyut resolution. It was declared in the resolution Patwardhan and Smt Sucheta Kripalani.10 that the immediate ending of the British In Assam the Government planned to rule in India was an urgent necessity, both arrest all the office bearers of the Assam for the sake of India and for the success of Provincial Congress Committee and other the cause of the United Nations. India had Congress leaders of Assam before 5 A.M. become the crux of the question. Great on 9th August 1942.11 Britain and United Nations will be judged Accordingly the Government detained by the independence of India. Addressing all the leaders including the President, the Congress delegates on the night of 8th Maulavi T. Tayyabullah, Fakaruddin Ali August Gandhiji said, “I, therefore want Ahmed, Bishnuram Medhi, Dr. Hare freedom immediately, this very night, if it Volume-II, Issue-III January 2014 231 প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo ISSN: 2278-5264 Krishnha Das, Liladhar Barooah, D. Bombay. When they were being brought to Sarma(Jorhat) and others were arrested.12 the jail, Tarun Sen Deka Communist Along with the rest of India many leader of Assam, asked Siddhinath Sarma Assamese leaders like Jyotiprasad on what grounds should the movement be Agarawala and Gahan Chandra Goswami carried forward, whether it be violence or of Darrang, Mahendra Nath Hazarika and non-violence. To this Siddhinath Sarma Lakshmi Prasad Goswami of Nagaon, replied “It is not a question of violence and Sankar Chandra Barua of Golalaghat, non-violence. We need to do everything to Brajanath Sarma of Kamrup district went achieve independence. If needed even train underground to organize a resistance lines will be broken”.15 With this view a movement. The underground workers series of train derailment were carried out through its cells or secret offices carried by underground mrityubahini (Suicide out disruptive activities.13 One of the Squad) under different heads all over the main objectives of the underground province. movement in Assam was to paralyse the The only means of effective communication network and for this the communication of the time was railways. following instruction were issued.14 Hence the British Government used the 1. All ways of communication are to be railways to carry the military personals obstructed. Big bridges are to be and supply of foods, arms and ammunition broken. Railway lines should be etc. A common method used by the pulled off so that there may be activists to disrupt supplies to the army obstruction in the military movement was the derailment of trains carrying used and bringing other articles. such supplies. Derailment was generally 2. Postal department is to be brought to caused by removing fish-plats from the a standstill by all means. If trains and railway lines. steamers can be stopped postal Train Derailment activities: The first department will be unworkable train derailment incident in Assam in the automatically. To stopped the Quit India movement was carried out by a working of the postal department try mrityu bahini (suicide squad) group of your best to obstruct railways and Nagaon under the direction of Lakhsmi steamers. Prasad Goswami and leadership of 3. Cut telegraph wires as early and in Bhibiram Bora. The incident took place on as many places as possible. In that 23rd August 1942, the main line was case news from one place to another sabotaged at two places on either side of will not reach and the Government Kampur and beyond Jamunamukh which will also not know about happenings led to derailment of an engine and several in different places. goods wagon were damaged. Then, on 24th Before this bulletin reached to the August, living quarters near the Phulaguri underground workers, the ideology of Station were set on fire. The same day, derailment of trains in Assam was spread. tracks and sleepers on the Dimow Railway Gopinath Bordoloi and Siddhinath Sarma Bridge were removed resulting in the were arrested on a train at Dhubri after derailment of another goods train. No returning from Congress Session in casualties were reported for these Volume-II, Issue-III January 2014 232 প্রতিধ্বতি the Echo ISSN: 2278-5264 incidents. Several wooden bridges on the Bora and his company to remove the fish- Assam Trunk Road too were burnt down.16 plate of the train line.23 According to the The police failed to arrest any of the instruction of the leader the sabotage work suspected saboteurs involved in these started at 11 P.M. About a furlong away derailment cases. The following mrityu armed soldiers of mrityu bahini bahini members of Nagaon were took part comprising Pulin Bihari Barua, Soneswar in the derailment incident, Khagen Bora Konwar, Gangadhar Ahom and Madan of Hatisung, Rameswaer Das of Kujidah, Phukan were guarding the site.