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10. Armed Revolutionary Movement

The agitations against the British the Government. imperialism were carried out in various Abhinav Bharat : In 1900, ways in India. In this chapter, we shall Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar get acquainted with it. Savarkar founded We have studied the uprisings before ‘Mitramela’- a secret 1857 against the British and the freedom organisation of movement of 1857. In the later period, revolutionaries in Ramsinh Kuka organised a rebellion Nasik. The same against the Goverment in . organisation was Vasudev Balwant Phadke : In renamed as ‘Abhinav Maharashtra, Vasudev Bharat’ in 1904. Balwant Phadke gave Savarkar went to an armed struggle England for higher Swatantryaveer against the British. He education . From there V. D. Savarkar assumed that there he began sending revolutionary literature, should be armed guns etc. to the members of Abhinav struggle to fight Bharat in India. He wrote an inspiring against the British. He biography of Joseph Mazzini, the famous

took the training of Italian revolutionary. The 1857 rebellion Vasudev Balwant arms from Vastad was the first war of independence was Phadke Lahuji Salve. He stated in the book ‘The Indian War of organised the Ramoshis and revolted Independence 1857’ written by him. against the British. This rebellion became unsuccessful. The British Government sent Do you know ? him to Eden jail. There he died in 1883. He built up an armed struggle for Swatantryaveer Savarkar was independence. sentenced to fifty years of rigorous Chafekar Brothers : In 1897, the imprisonment at Andaman. He was Plague Commissioner Rand had resorted there for ten years. In his to tyranny and force while managing the autobiography ‘Majhi Janmathep’ he epidemic of plague in Pune. As a revenge wrote down his experiences of the the Chafekar brothers, Damodar and terrible days in Andaman. Later the Balkrishna, shot him dead on 22 June Government took him to Ratnagiri 1897. Damodar, Balkrishna and Vasudev and detained there. There Savarkar these three brothers and their associate started many social movements such Mahadev Ranade were hanged to death. as removal of caste differences, From the same house, three brothers removal of untouchability, common accepted martyrdom for the service of the dining, purification of language etc. country. During the same period Munda He was a great writer. He was the tribe in Bihar under the leadership of President of Marathi Sahitya Birsa Munda made great revolt against Sammelan at Mumbai in 1938. The Government came to know about killed in this attack. Prafulla Chaki shot the activities of Abhinav Bharat. Therefore himself with a bullet so that he will not the Government arrested Babarao fall in the hands of British. Khudiram Savarkar. He was sentenced to life Bose was caught by the police. During imprisonment. As a revenge to this the investigation the police got information punishment, a youth named Anant Laxman about the working of . Kanhere killed Jackson, the Collector of They started arresting the members of this Nasik. The Government started arresting organisation. Aurobindo Ghosh was also all those people who were connected with arrested. But the Government was Abhinav Bharat organisation. The murder unsuccessful in linking him to of Jackson was linked with Swatantryaveer manufacturing of bombs and hence the Savarkar by the Government, he was court set him free. Other members were arrested and put under trial. The court sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. ordered him rigorous punishment for 50 and Sachindra years. Nath Sanyal spread the network of Revolutionary Movement in Bengal : revolutionary organisations outside Bengal. After the partition of Bengal, the outrage The centres of revolutionary work were against British became more severe. In set up at Punjab, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. place of local rebellions comprehensive Rash Behari Bose and his associate made revolutionary movements started rising at a daring act of throwing bomb at the national level. In various parts of the Viceroy Lord Hardinge. But he got saved country the youths inspired by revolutionary from the attack. thoughts started establishing their secret The revolutionary work was carried organisations. To keep control over British out in Madras Province as well. Vanchhi officers, to loosen the Government Iyyer, a revolutionary, killed a British machinery, to wipe out the fear in the officer named Ash. Later he shot himself minds of Indians regarding the British with a bullet and sacrificed his own life. Government, overthrowing the British rule : The revolutionary were some of its main objectives. work in India received assistance from In Bengal a revolutionary organisation Indian revolutionaries staying abroad. called ‘Anushilan Samiti’ was active. The India House, in London, was an important Anushilan Samiti had more than 500 centre which provided for such kind of branches. Barindrakumar Ghosh, brother assistance. Pandit Shyamji Krishna of Aurobindo Ghosh, was the chief of this Varma, an Indian patriot, had established organisation. This organisation received counsel and guidance from Aurobindo Ghosh. The Anushilan Samiti had a bomb manufacturing centre at Maniktala near Kolkata. In 1908, Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki, members of Anushilan Samiti planned to kill a judge named Kingsford. But the vehicle on which they threw the bomb was not the one carrying Kingsford. Two English women were Pt. Madam Cama

India House. Through this organisation persuaded the Indian soldiers in British Indian youths were given scholarships for army to join in their revolt. It was decided higher education in England. that Rash Behari Bose and Vishnu Ganesh Swatantryaveer Savarkar received such Pingle should lead the revolt. But due to scholarship. Madam Cama raised the treachery, the British traced out the plan. issue of India’s independence at the Pingle fell into the hands of the police. World Socialist Conference held at He was hanged to death. But Rash Behari Stuggart in Germany. In the same Bose escaped successfuly. He went to conference she unfurled the flag of India. Japan and continued his revolutionary Another revolutionary associated with work. India House was a youth named Madanlal The revolutionary movement was Dhingra. He killed Curzon Wylie, a active in other countries during the period British Officer, due to which Dhingra was of war. In Berlin, Veerendra Nath hanged to death. Chattopadhyay, Bhupen Dutta and Gadar Movement : During the period Hardayal prepared anti British plans in of First World War, the revolutionary cooperation with the German Foreign work against the British Government got ministry. In 1915, , a momentum. The revolutionaries felt Barkatullah and Obaidullah Sindhi that, transfer of power can be brought established Provisional Government of into India with the help of enemies of the free India in Kabul. British and in this attempt help of Indian Kakori Conspiracy : The suppressive soldiers can also be taken . To take measures of government could not put an advantage of this opportunity revolutionary end to the revolutionary movement. After organisations were setup. 'Gadar' is one the suspension of Civil Disobedience such important organisation. Movement by Mahatma The Indians living in America and Gandhi, many Canada established the Gadar organisation. youngsters got diverted Lala Hardayal, Bhai Parmanand, Dr. to revolutionary ways. Pandurang Sadashiv Khankhoje etc. these Chandrashekhar Azad, revolutionaries were the important leaders , of the organisation. The word 'Gadar' Yogesh Chatterjee, means 'revolt'. 'Gadar' was the journal of this organisation that acted as its and such other mouthpiece. Through this journal, effects revolutionaries came Chandrashekhar Azad of British rule in India were pointed out. together. On 9 August It gave information about the daring 1925, they looted the Government treasury deeds of the revolutionaries. In this way, that was carried in a train near Kakori love for the nation and armed rebellion railway station in Uttar Pradesh. This is was the message given through the known as the ‘Kakori conspiracy’. By journal, Gadar, to the Indians. taking immediate action the government The leaders of the Gadar organisation arrested the revolutionaries and put them decided to take advantage of this war into prison. They were put under trial. like situation. They drew out a plan of Ashfaqulla Khan, Ram Prasad Bismil, revolt in Punjab against the British. They Roshan Singh, Rajendra Lahiri were

hanged. But Chandrashekhar Azad Members of this organisation carried managed to escape. out many revolutionary activities. Bhagat Hindustan Socialist Republican Singh and Rajguru fired bullets and killed Association : The young men influenced an officer named Saunders in order to by socialist ideas decided to set up a avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai. nation wide revolutionary organisation. The Government had introduced two Prominent among them bills in the Central Legislative Assembly, were Chandrashekhar curtailing civil rights. To protest it, Bhagat Azad, , Singh and Batukeshwar Dutta threw Rajguru, Sukhdev etc. bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly. All these The British Government immediately revolutionaries were raided the centres of ‘Hindustan Socialist secular in their Republican Army’. Through it the police thoughts. In 1928 in also obtained clues related to the killing Bhagat Singh the meeting held at of Saunders. The government started Feroz Shah Kotla ground arresting the revolutionaries. They were in Delhi, these young men established the tried under the charge of sedition. On 23 organisation called ‘Hindustan Socialist March 1931, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Republican Association’. Sukhdev were hanged in the Lahore jail. The objective behind the establishment But till the end Chandrashekhar Azad did of this organisation was to free India not fall into the hands of the police. Later from British exploitation. It also wanted he died in an encounter with police at to overthrow the unjust socio-economic Alfred Park in Allahabad. system which exploited the farmers and Attack on workers. Bhagat Singh gave importance Chittagong Armoury to creation of a society based on social : Surya Sen was the justice and equality. chief of the The work of gathering arms and revolutionary group execution of programmes was entrusted to at Chittagong in a seperate wing of the organisation. This Bengal. He had wing was called ‘Hindustan Socialist gathered around him Republican Army’ and Chandrashekar revolutionaries like Azad was the chief of this wing. Anant Singh, Ganesh Surya Sen Ghosh, Kalpana Dutta, Pritilata Waddedar. With their assistance, Surya Sen drew up a plan to attack the armoury at Chittagong. As per the plan, on 18 April 1930 the revolutionaries seized the arms from the two armouries in Chittagong. The telephone and telegraph lines were broken and they succeeded in paralysing the communication system. After that they gave a thrilling fight to the British army. Rajguru Sukhdev On 16 February 1933, Surya Sen and

revolutionary movement gained pace. Shanti Ghosh and Suniti Choudhary, these two school girls killed the District Judge, where as a young girl Bina Das shot dead the Governor during the convocation ceremony of Kolkata University. Sardar Udham Singh killed Dyer, the Kalpana Dutta Pritilata Waddedar officer responsible for Jallianwala Bagh massacre, in London in 1940. In the some of his associates were captured by freedom struggle of India revolutionary the police. Surya Sen and his 12 associates movement made an important contribution. were given death punishment. Kalpana These revolutionaries displayed daring Dutta was sentenced to life imprisonment. and determination while fighting against Pritilata Waddedar killed herself without the British rule. The love for the nation falling into the hands of the police. and attitude of sacrifice was just Due to the Uprising in Chittagong the incomparable. Their sacrifice proved to be an inspiration to the Indians.