Barisal Conspiracy Case
Encyclopedia
The Barisal Conspiracy Case of 1913 was a trial prosecuted by the British colonial authorities against 44 Bengalis who were accused of planning to incite rebellion against the Raj
. As such, it was part of the greater movement for independence that swept India in the decades prior to the departure of the British in 1947.
. The colonial police there reported that they had seized certain documents implicating the Anushilan Samiti
, a revolutionary organization whose East Bengal chapters were under the leadership of Trailokyanath Chakrobarty and Pratul Chandra Ganguli
. The seized documents included a proposal to seduce native-born troops and to incite them to rebellion and wholesale massacre of the British.
The trial of the 44 commenced in Calcutta in June 1913. The prosecutor for the Crown purported to show evidence of how the conspirators had divided up Bengal into several districts in order to preach sedition. The Samiti had specifically targeted students and unmarried youth by means of meetings and religious services, and their membership numbered hundreds in Barisal district alone.
Judgment was passed in January 1914. Of the original 44 accused, 32 were discharged or pardoned, or had the cases against them withdrawn. The remaining 12 pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy against the British Crown. Five of the 12 - among them Pratul Chandra - were given lengthy transportation sentences to the Andamans of between 10 to 12 years. The remaining seven convicts were given transportation sentences between two to seven years.
The case had further consequences. The Calcutta daily Amrita Bazar Patrika
had published a series of articles commenting on the case. A show cause motion was brought against the editor Motilal Ghose and the publisher of the newspaper, charging them with contempt of court. However, the motion was later dismissed by a special branch of the High Court.
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. As such, it was part of the greater movement for independence that swept India in the decades prior to the departure of the British in 1947.
Overview
Barisal was a district in the south-eastern corner of BengalBengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. The colonial police there reported that they had seized certain documents implicating the Anushilan Samiti
Anushilan Samiti
Anushilan Samiti was an armed anti-British organisation in Bengal and the principal secret revolutionary organisation operating in the region in the opening years of the 20th century. This association, like its offshoot the Jugantar, operated under the guise of suburban fitness club...
, a revolutionary organization whose East Bengal chapters were under the leadership of Trailokyanath Chakrobarty and Pratul Chandra Ganguli
Pratul Chandra Ganguli
Pratul Chandra Ganguli was a Bengali Indian revolutionary.-Short biography:Pratul hailed from Narayanganj, now in Bangladesh. He was a member of the Anushilan Samiti. Following the arrest of Pulin Behari Das , Pratul and Trailokyanath Chakraborty took charge of the Anushilan Samiti and reorganized...
. The seized documents included a proposal to seduce native-born troops and to incite them to rebellion and wholesale massacre of the British.
The trial of the 44 commenced in Calcutta in June 1913. The prosecutor for the Crown purported to show evidence of how the conspirators had divided up Bengal into several districts in order to preach sedition. The Samiti had specifically targeted students and unmarried youth by means of meetings and religious services, and their membership numbered hundreds in Barisal district alone.
Judgment was passed in January 1914. Of the original 44 accused, 32 were discharged or pardoned, or had the cases against them withdrawn. The remaining 12 pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy against the British Crown. Five of the 12 - among them Pratul Chandra - were given lengthy transportation sentences to the Andamans of between 10 to 12 years. The remaining seven convicts were given transportation sentences between two to seven years.
The case had further consequences. The Calcutta daily Amrita Bazar Patrika
Amrita Bazar Patrika
Amrita Bazar Patrika was one of the oldest newspapers in India; it is written Bengali . It debuted on 20 February 1868. It was started by Sisir Ghosh and Moti Lal Ghosh, sons of Hari Naryan Ghose, a rich merchant from Magur, in District Jessore, in Bengal Province of British Empire in India. The...
had published a series of articles commenting on the case. A show cause motion was brought against the editor Motilal Ghose and the publisher of the newspaper, charging them with contempt of court. However, the motion was later dismissed by a special branch of the High Court.