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Home , Bidhan Chandra Roy, Jagaddipendra Narayan, Jitendra Narayan, Nripendra Narayan

Socio-Political Movements in North (A Sub-Himalayan Tract) Edited by Publish by Global Vision Publishing House Sukhbilas Barma

Hitasadhani Movement

Prasenjit Barman

TO WRITE on Hitasadhani movement is a very difficult task. Its leaders are no more. Documents are not available. Yet when Shri Sukhbilas Barma, whom I very affectionately love as my younger brother made this request, I took this venture to throw some light on the subject about which very little has been written so far, and that too not in proper manner.

Demographic Picture of The Hitasadhani movement originated and gained momentum in the princely state of Cooch Behar in its last days in the forties of the last century and it lasted till the State’s merger as a district into the adjacent province (as it was then) of on the 1st January, 1950 AD; but during its short span of life it became very popular amongst the 6,00,000 people of Cooch Behar mostly of the local origins, the Rajbanshi Kshatriyas, forming the majority of the population, Khens, Kurisajjans, Brahmins and the Mohamedans also forming around 25 per cent of the population of the State. Some outsiders, who settled in this princely State and engaged themselves in various occupations 66 Socio-Political Movements in like land holding (Jotedari), legal profession and business etc. also were its supporters. Its opponents were those who came from different parts of the then undivided Bengal and settled here in various professions like service, land-holding (jotedari), and business etc. Some local people were also with them, but during the peak period of the Hitasadhani movement its opponents were in the microscopic minority. In all political activities were banned like that in other Indian States, but the rulers here were not autocrats and anti-people. The relationship between the rulers and their subjects were mostly cordial. The rulers were well educated, cultural, modern in outlook, and used to take welfare measures for the spread of education, development of health, and amelioration of the economic condition of the people in the State. Good and able administration prevailed here. In 1943 A.D. (1350 BS) when Bengal province faced acute famine and there was loss of thousands of human lives there for want of food, the people here in the Cooch Behar State had no such bitter and miserable experience.

Economic Position of Cooch Behar’s Local People The local people here as now, were mostly agriculturists. Amongst them there were a few jotedars, but largely small land holders, and adhiars. There were also a few service- holders, and business men. Relationship amongst the people belonging to various castes and communities was cordial. The people were hospitable as they are now. They used to maintain good relationship amongst themselves and also with the people who came from outside, largely amongst them the Bengalees from undivided Bengal, the Marwaris and some others. Hitasadhani Movement 67

Yet there was discontent amongst the local people. Those who came from outside, particularly from undivided Bengal were well advanced educationally and economically. All higher administrative posts were in their hands. Business was also under their control and to some extent, under that of the Marwaris. There were also a good number of so called outsider jotedars. The people here mostly dependent on agriculture had more or less easy living; as such they lacked interest in education. For want of education they were devoid of consciousness and were callous about their future. Though the rulers were very popular, the local people could hardly get chance to come closer to them as the higher administrative posts were all occupied by the so called outsiders, and the rulers were almost always encircled by them.

Attitude of Cooch Behar State Administration Rai Saheb Panchanan Barma, a Rajbanshi Kshatriya who later became the great social reformer and the political leader of the eastern and north-eastern , an inhabitant of village Khalishamari, within Mathabhanga Sub-Division of the Cooch Behar State was the first M.A. LLB amongst the subjects of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar. His academic career was brilliant. Later he also excelled in research works and writings on language and archaeology. He had all the qualifications of becoming a “Naib Ahilkar”, a post equivalent to the post of today’s Sub-Divisional Officer, of the State. During the reign of Maharaja (1863 A.D. to 1911 A.D.), who is recognized in history as an architect of modern Cooch Behar, a renowned person like Calica Das Dutt was the Dewan of the State. At his instance Panchanan Barma was denied the post. Thereafter he had to settle at Rangpur as a lawyer to maintain his livelihood. 68 Socio-Political Movements in North Bengal

Similar was the experience of many young educated local people, mostly the Rajbanshi Kshatriyas, who were denied deserving posts inspite of their suitable qualifications. Position of the other communities amongst the local people like the Khens, Kurisajjans and Mohamedans was no better. They began to feel neglected and ignored. From the time of Maharaja Bhup Bahadur, who ruled for a short period from 1913 A.D. to 1922 A.D. there was a change of outlook and some administrative changes were brought in to accommodate more and more local people in the administration. Rai Saheb Panchanan Barma, who was leading the ‘Kshatriya Movement’ from Rangpur all over North Bengal, Goalpara District (now divided into three districts, Goalpara, Dhubri and Kokrajhar) in Assam, North and Nepal had to face stiff opposition in Cooch Behar State before, but Maharaja Jitendra Narayan was the first Maharaja of Cooch Behar, who came forward to support the ‘Kshatriya Movement’ of Rai Saheb Panchanan Barma. At his initiative the sacred thread ceremony of Maharaj Kumar , Maharaj Kumar Indrajitendra Narayan, and Raj Kumar Gautam Narayan was observed as introduced amongst the Rajbanshi Kshatriyas by Rai Saheb Panchanan Barma under the instructions of the Brahmin Pandits of the time. After his death his last rites were performed according to the customs of the Rajbanshi Kshatriyas. Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, who was virtually the last ruler of the State (1922 A.D. to 1949A.D) to take up the administration in his own hands in 1936 after attaining majority, from the Council of Regency, headed by his mother, Rajmata Maharani as its President during his minority, followed this line of his father, Maharaja Jitendra Hitasadhani Movement 69

Narayan in his family life as well as in the administration. In 1942 A.D. when the Cooch Behar Kshatriya Society was formed in Cooch Behar State to propagate the ideals of Rai Saheb Panchanan Barma for all round development of the Rajbanshi Kshatriyas of the State, Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan became its President* and he continued in this post till his death on 11.04.1970. To accommodate more and more local people in the administration Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan in 1939 A.D. set up Cooch Behar Public Service Commission, consisting of the following members: 1. Renenue Member of the State Council-Chairman; 2. Fourth member of the State Council; 3. Khan Chowdhury Amanatullah Ahmed, Member of the Legislative Council; 4. Roy Saheb Surendra Kanta Basu Majumdar, Member of the Legislative Council, and 5. Satish Chandra Roy Singha Sarkar, Member of the Legislative Council (representing the interest of the Rajbanshi Kshatriyas) It may be mentioned in this connection that the Cooch Behar State Legislative Council was formed in the year 1909 during the reign of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan (1863 A.D. to 1911 A.D.), but all the members thereof were then either official or nominated. In 1941 A.D the Cooch Behar Legislative Council Act was passed during the reign of Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan (1922 A.D. to 1949 A.D) and provision was made therein for direct election of eight members – two members (one Hindu and one Mohamedan)

* The Cooch Behar Kshatriya Society established in 1941 originally registered under the Cooch Behar State—registered under West Bengal Societies Registration Act in 1990-1991. 70 Socio-Political Movements in North Bengal by the jotedars of the State, one member by the members of the legal profession of the State, and five members from each of the five sub-Divisions of the State, namely Sadar, Dinhata, Mathabhanga, Mekhliganj and Tujanganj. Important leaders of the local people like Satish Chandra Roy Singha, Khan Chowdhury Amanatullah Ahmed, Ansar Uddin Ahmed, Jogendra Nath Roy, Gajendra Narayan Roy Basunia, Kumar Tikendra Narayan, Mosharaf Hossain Pradhan amongst others became members of the State Legislative Council. In this connection it may be mentioned that in 1946 A.D. when the election was held Satish Chandra Roy Singha, a Lawyer contested the election from Dinhata Sub-Division against Makbul Hossain Ahmed, also a lawyer, who was the father of the former Bangladesh President Ershad Hossain and defeated him in the election. Another important leader of Cooch Behar, Umesh Chandra Mandal, also a lawyer, junior to Satish Chandra Roy Singha in age by a few years, started his social and political activities together with Satish Chandra Roy singha under the leadership of Rai Saheb Panchanan Barma. Umesh Chandra Mandal contested that election from Mekhliganj against Sushil Kumar Chakraborty and Mosharaf Hossain Pradhan, but in the triangular contest he lost and Mosharaf Hossain Pradhan got elected.

Accommodation for Locals in the State Administration After the election Satish Chandra Roy Singha became the Education and Development Minister of the State. Later the Public Health Department was entrusted to him in exchange of the Development Department. As Education and Public Health Minister of the State, Satish Chandra Roy Singha set up many free middle English and Primary schools and charitable dispensaries in the villages of the State for Hitasadhani Movement 71 spread of education and development of health of the local people of the State, most of whom were and still are the villagers. Provision for free study in all High Schools and in the only Government College then, Victoria College (Later named as Acharya Brajendra Nath Seal College) at Cooch Behar was introduced for the benefit of the local people. Progressive measures were also taken for the advancement of education amongst the girl students. Those families, who came from outside, but settled and lived here for generations were also recognized as local people for this purpose. Amongst the local people Kumar Promodendra Narayan, son of Maharaj Kumar Jatindra Narayan (Kachua Saheb), Kshitish Chandra Laskar, Manabendra Bhattacharjee, Ahmed Hossain Pradhan, Fabiruddin Ahmed, Debendrananda Chakrabarty, Hemanta Kumar Roy Barma, , Matiar Rahaman, and Jagadindra Sankar Bhattacharjee were appointed to the post of Sub-Divisional Officer and / or the Second Officers in the Sub-Divisions of the State. Bazley Rahaman became the Civil and Sessions Judge of the State. Ansar ud-din Ahmed served the State as Finance Secretary, Chief Secretary, Finance Minister, and Financial Adviser. Khan Chowdhury Amanatullah, a highly accomplished person, author of the “History of Cooch Behar”, became the Revenue Minister of the State. He was associated with the Cooch Behar Sahitya Sabha from the day of its foundation in 1915 A.D. and was its Secretary from two months after its foundation day and continued in this post upto 1940 A.D. Because of such changes in outlook in the administration of the State, the local people having been at the top in various fields of administration and also for spread of education amongst them, began to awake. During this period there was also rapid change of events in British India, which was 72 Socio-Political Movements in North Bengal leading towards independence, but with and Pakistan on the basis of two- nation theory, invented by the British and the propagators of Pakistan. Though political activities were banned and there was no political party in the Cooch Behar State, yet political activists, who were fighting for independence of India, used to live and move in the State. Many people of the State including the local people maintained relationship with them and supported their cause by hospitality, cash and ornaments. Cooch Behar was formerly an independent State. It fought bravely with the Moughuls, Ahoms, Bhutanese and others. Sukladhwaj Narayan alias Chila Roy, the younger brother of Maharaja Nara Narayan (1554 A.D. to 1587 A.D.) is recognized as one of the greatest Generals of the world and founder of guerilla warfare. But due to successive Bhutan invasions Maharaja Dharendra Narayan of Cooch Behar was at last compelled to sign treaty with the in the year 1773 A.D. for its protection and existence and thereafter the State was reduced to the status of a native State first under the East India Company and then under the British Crown by virtue of the said treaty with reduced area as now as a district of West Bengal. On the 20th February, 1947 A.D. the British Government announced their intention to transfer power in British India to Indian hands. On 3rdJune, 1947 A.D the Congress and the Muslim League accepted the scheme for the partition of India, prepared by Lord Mountbatten, the Governor General of India. The Indian Independence Act was passed in the British Parliament on the 18th July, 1947 A.D. India was divided. Pakistan became independent on the 14th August, 1947 A.D, while India became independent on the 15th Hitasadhani Movement 73

August, 1947 A.D. A portion of undivided Bengal with Rangpur district, and some portion of district just contiguous to the Cooch Behar State on its southern and parts of eastern and western boundaries formed part of .

Hitasadhani Sabha—how it Originated When these changes were taking place in British India the local people of the Cooch Behar State were organizing themselves for standing on their own feet within the State under the leadership of Satish Chandra Roy Singha, a very powerful leader of the state at that time, whom the Statesman, an English daily of Calcutta once described as the uncrowned King of Cooch Behar, and Khan Chowdhury Amanatullah Ahmed, a highly respectable person in the State and some others. The people here considered the Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan as their mentor in this regard. At last on the 4th Jaistha, 1353 BS corresponding to the 19th May, 1946 A.D. before a huge gathering of more than 60,000 people on the Rash Mela Maidan, which was then wide open, having no stadium and other constructions thereon, the Hitasadhani Sabha was formed in great enthusiasm with Khan Chowdhury Amanatullah Ahmed as the President, Satish Chandra Roy Singha and Dharani Sankar Bhatttacharjee as the Vice-Presidents, Jaladhar Saha as the Secretary and Majir Uddin Ahmed as the Assistant Secretary. During those days there was no bus communications, yet the people assembled there from all over the State, coming on foot, bullock/buffalo carts, bicycles and special trains provided for this purpose. Leaders like Satish Chandra Roy Singha, Khan Chowdhury Amanatullah Ahmed and Dharani Sankar Bhattacharjee amongst others addressed the gathering. Smt. 74 Socio-Political Movements in North Bengal

Sonamani Devi, the first woman graduate amongst the local people also was one of the speakers. The ‘Bhawaiya’ Samrat Abbas Uddin Ahmed, a son of Cooch Behar, sang the opening song in the meeting specially composed by his younger brother, Abdul Karim for this purpose, beginning with the words Ö Bhai Mor Kuch Bihari Re”, and inspired the gathering. Thereafter the Hitasadhani Sabha began to hold meetings all over the State to organize and inspire the local people for their all round development. It may be also mentioned in this connection that the Hitasadhani Sabha was the first political party, which was granted recognition by the State. When India became free as the two Dominions of India and Pakistan, and paramountcy of the British Government over the Indian States was withdrawn, three options appeared before the Indian States, such as (i) to remain as independent State, (ii) to accede to the Dominion of India and (iii) to accede to the Dominion of Pakistan. As was then the position here, it was the intention of the Maharaja, Rajmata Maharani Indira Devi and the Hitasadhani Sabha at first to retain the Cooch Behar State as an independent State. An effort was taken by the Hitasadhani Sabha to form an independent Cooch Behar State comprising the Cooch Behar State, the doors area of Jalpaiguri, and parts of , which were at one time under the independent State of Cooch Behar. Some influential leaders of the doors area, named Bidhu Bhusan Karjee of Parorpar, Alipurduar, Tarini Kanta Roy of Raichanga near Falakata, Gopal Chandra Roy of Shilbari, Tarakeshwar Roy Basunia of Kheti Fulbari and Md. Abdudhobahan of Falakata from the doors area expressed their intention by publishing a leaflet in the year 1947 A.D. just on the eve of independence of India to merge the doors area with Cooch Behar State and to form a separate Hitasadhani Movement 75 independent State comprising the said area under the Maharaja of Cooch Behar. All these activities of the Hitasadhani Sabha faced severe criticism from some corners. Umesh Chandra Mandal, who began his social and political activities together with Satish Chandra Roy Singha as stated above, drew himself apart from Satish Chandra Roy Singha and with the backing of the Congress as well as the leftist leaders of Bengal formed “Praja Mandal” in the State and began to work against the aspirations of the Hitasadhani Sabha. Press from Calcutta began to criticize the Hitasadhani Sabha almost every day very bitterly. Yet in the State the Hitasadhani Sabha did not lose its popularity. In the next election, held in 1949 before the accession of the State to the Dominion of India on the 12th September, 1949 A.D., the candidates of the Hitasadhani Sabha won almost all the seats of the State Legislative Council. Umesh Chandra Mandol, then the Praja Mandal Leader, contested from a constituency comprising his own village Bhetaguri and Putimari and Alokjhari under Dinhata sub-Division against the Hitasadhani Sabha candidate, Sita Nath Barman, a retired Head Master of an M.E School of Alokjhari, but lost to him miserably.

Merger of Cooch Behar to Dominion of India The Maharaja of Cooch Behar in the meantime in June, 1947 A.D. sent the Chief Minister of the State, Himmatsingh K. Maheswari in the Constituent Assembly of India as State’s representative and formed an Advisory Committee, consisting of Satish Chandra Roy Singha Sarkar, Khan Chowdhury Amanatullah Ahmed and Rai Saheb S.K. Bose Majumdar, Member of the State Legislative Council, to assist him. 76 Socio-Political Movements in North Bengal

Both the dominions of India and Pakistan were then trying to get the Cooch Behar State merged within their respective territories, but finding that it would not be possible to remain independent the Maharaja of Cooch Behar decided that the Cooch Behar State should accede to the Dominion of India. Accordingly an Agreement was signed by the Governor General of India and the Maharaja of Cooch Behar on the 28th August, 1949 A.D. and by virtue of the said Agreeemnt the Cooch Behar State acceded to the Dominion of India and there was transfer of power from the Maharaja to the Chief Commissioner of the State V.I.Nanjappa on the 12th September 1949 A.D. The great leader, Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel, then Minister of Home Affairs and States, Government of India played a very important role in this matter as in the case of other Indian States.

Merger of Cooch Behar with West Bengal and Disinte- gration of Hitasadhani Sabha The Hitasadhani Sabha desired that the Cooch Behar State should remain as a centrally administered State as their second best choice, but their aspirations could not be fulfilled as great efforts were being taken by the Congress and leftist leaders of Bengal like Dr. , Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (then Prime Minister of West Bengal), Sarat Chandra Bose, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and others. Dr. Charu Chandra Sanyal of Jalpaiguri, then editor of Janamat; a reputed journal of Jalpaiguri, Pijush Kanti Mukherjee of Alipurduar, Prof. Chunilal Mukherjee of Cooch Behar, Praja Mandal of Cooch Behar led by Umesh Chandra Mandal, the leaders of Cooch Behar State Congress then formed, the leftist leaders of Cooch Behar, the Cooch Behar Peoples’ Association formed by Sailen Roy, Pulakesh Dey Sarkar, Tara Pada Chakravarty and some others who hailed Hitasadhani Movement 77 from Cooch Behar, but were mostly Calcutta based for their livelihood, Bengalee intelligentsia of Calcutta and above all the Calcutta Press, to merge Cooch Behar as a district in the province (as it was then) of West Bengal on the consideration that the State is just adjacent to West Bengal and the people here speak in Bengali, their medium of instruction is Bengali and in every sphere of life they are close to Bengal. Assam leaders also tried their best to merge Cooch Behar State with Assam, pointing out the affinity of age old culture between the two. Upendra Nath Barman, who hailed from village Gopalpur within P.S and Sub-Division Mathabhanga, Dt. Cooch Behar and settled at Jalpaiguri later as a lawyer under the advice of his ‘Guru’ Rai Saheb Panchanan Barma after being denied the post of ‘Naib Ahilkar’ in the Cooch Behar State inspite of having a brilliant academic career like his ‘Guru’ Rai Saheb Panchanan Barma, then a member of the Constituent Assembly of India was also in favour of the merger of Cooch Behar as a district in the province (as it was then) of West Bengal. So also was the opinion of Shyama Prasad Barman, a Rajbanshi Kshatriya of West Dinajpur (as it was then), Minister of the Government of West Bengal from 1949 A.D. to 1962 A.D. As it appears, through the efforts of Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, and other Congress leaders, Satish Chandra Roy Singha of the Hitasadhani Sabha also changed his opinion in this regard and later consented to the merger of Cooch Behar as a district into the adjacent province (as it was then) of West Bengal and decided to join the Congress. After so many efforts Jawharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India and Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel, Minister of Home Affairs and States, Government of India agreed to the 78 Socio-Political Movements in North Bengal proposal of merger of Cooch Behar as a district into the province (as it was then) of West Bengal, and accordingly the Government of India Ministry of law Notification No. S.O. 28 dated the 31st December, 1949 A.D. was issued, and by virtue of this notification the Cooch Behar state since centrally administered merged as a district in the adjacent province (as it was then) of West Bengal on the 1st January, 1950 A.D. Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, the Prime Minister (as it was then) of West Bengal came to Cooch Behar on this occasion and addressed the people of Cooch Behar on that date. When he landed at Cooch Behar by air on the 31st December, 1949 A.D. he and his team were received at the airport at Cooch Behar by the Chief Commissioner, V.I. Nanjappa and other officials, Rajkumar Gautam Narayan, Colonel Raj Kumar Rajendra Singha on behalf of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar and the two Hitasadhani leaders, Khan Chowdhury Amanutullah Ahmed and Satish Chandra Roy Singha Sarkar. After a few days by order dated the 25th January, 1950 A.D. the Governor General of India in pursuance of paragraph (4) of Article 11 of the State’s Merger (Governor Provinces) order, 1949, nominated Satish Chandra Roy Singha Sarkar and Umesh Chandra Mandal as members of the West Bengal legislative Assembly. Prior thereto, Satish Chandra Roy Singha joined the Congress. After some time four Muslim leaders of Hitasadhani Sabha, named Khan Chowdhury Amanatullah Ahmed, Ansar Uddin Ahmed, Bazley Rahaman, and Makbul Hossain Ahmed (the father of the former Bangladesh President, Ershad Hossain) were externed from Cooch Behar on the charge of subversive activities against the State and after this the Hitasadhani Sabha almost disintegrated. Hitasadhani Movement 79

Hitasadhani–misunderstood by the Critics The Hitasadhani movement is often criticized as a reactionary movement, attributing it to be a movement of the local Hindu and Muslim jotedars to check peasants’ movements like ‘tebhaga’ movement, but its critics fail to notice that here there was no such tyranny of the jotedars over the adhiars like that in Bengal particularly, South Bengal and East Bengal. They cannot feel the great aspirations of the local people of the Cooch Behar State, who were educationally and economically backward, to become self reliant, for which the Hitasadhani Sabha aimed at. It is alleged that the Hitasadhani Sabha launched ‘Bhatia Khedao’ movement, but we did not find a single instance of exodus of any so-called ‘Bhatia’ family from the Cooch Behar State even during the peak period of the Hitasadhani movement. Time has come now to assess how far they were involved in subversive activities. Nobody should forget that for political reasons reports may be manipulated. We cannot forget that on a flimsy ground a person like Rai Saheb Panchanan Barma was prevented from entering into the Cooch Behar State during the State Regime. Khan Chowdhury Amanatllah Ahmed and Makbul Hossain Ahmed did not return to Cooch Behar. After externment they left for Rangpur in the then East Pakistan and settled there. Ansar Uddin Ahmed and Bazley Rahanan lived during their period of externment at Dhubri in Assam and after its expiry returned to Cooch Behar. Ansar Uddin Ahmed joined the Congress, became its President for some time, and also the first member of the Rajya Sabha from Cooch Behar in 1958 on Congress ticket and breathed his last at Cooch Behar. 80 Socio-Political Movements in North Bengal

It cannot be denied that the majority of the local people of Cooch Behar was in favour of having the Cooch Behar State as an independent State under the Maharaja of Cooch Behar when after independence the paramountcy of the British Government over the Indian States was withdrawn, and their second best choice was to retain the Cooch Behar State as a centrally administered State within the Union of India, but they were also not against the merger of the State in West Bengal in preference to Assam. It is needless to State that there was no question of joining the State with Pakistan. The majority of the local people irrespective of the Hindus and the Muslims here did not like it. Whatever might be the position after independence the local people joined the mainstream of the country and wholeheartedly participated in the first General Election of independent India in the year, 1952 A.D. in which even after the food riot on the 21st April, 1951 A.D. at Cooch Behar the Congress under the leadership of the erstwhile Hitasadhani leader but then Congress leader, Satish Chandra Roy Singha Sarkar won all the seats of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from the . All three Congress candidates from North Bengal Parliamentary Constituency of which Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Behar districts were the three segments, also got elected. But the local people became disappointed immediately thereafter when they found that such a powerful leader like Satish Chandra Roy Singha, who was the Education and the Public Health Minister in the Cooch Behar State was made simply a Deputy Minister of the Government of West Bengal.

Hitasadhani Spirit Persists One should not forget that though the Hitasadhani Sabha disintegrated, the spirit of the Hitasadhani movement is still Hitasadhani Movement 81 existent amongst the local people of Cooch Behar in some form or other but that spirit is not anti-national. Even after so many years of independence the economic, educational, social and political position of the indigenous people have not improved in comparison to those who came from outside. For the sake of national integration leaders of all political parties should realize it and act accordingly so that the local people can develop their economic, educational, social and political position and be self reliant in all spheres of life including politics.

REFERENCES Banerjee, Dilip, Election Recorder—An Analytical Reference, Star Publishing House, Dr. Subhas Lane, , 1990. Barma, Kshetra Mohan, Saral Sankshipta Kuch Biharer Bibaran ba Kuch Bihar Rajyer Rajader Parichay, 1st edition, Cooch Behar State Press, 1927, 3rd edition, Bhattacharya Book House, Kolkata, 1982. Barman, Upendra Nath, Uttar Banglar Sekal O Amar Jiban Smriti, published by Bijoy Kumar Barman, Advocate, Jalpaiguri, 1392 B.S. Ghosh, Ananda Goptal, An article on ‘Cooch Beharer Rajnaitik Andolan’, in Madhuparni, special number, Cooch Behar district, 1990. Khan, Chaudhuri Amanatullah, Koch Biharer Itihas, Cooch Behar State Press, 1936. Ray, Swapan Kr., Prachin Kuch Biharer Sampurna Itibritta, Boiwala, Canal Street, Kolkata, published in Boimela, Cooch Behar, 1413 B.S. Singha, Kshetra Nath, Rai Saheb Panchanan Barmar Jiboni, published by Nityananda Barma, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Bangladesh, 1939.

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