Bengal Volunteers
Encyclopedia
Bengal
Volunteers was an underground revolutionary group against the British rule of India
.The group was functional from its inception in 1928 to the Indian independence.
session of Indian National Congress
.The group was named Bengal Volunteers and was under the leadership of Major Satya Gupta. Subhas Chandra Bose himself was the GOC. After the Kolkata
session of the Congress was over, the Bengal Volunteers continued its activities. Soon, it was turned into an active revolutionary association.
In August 1930, the revolutionary group planned to kill Lowman, the Inspector General of Police who was due to present in the Medical School Hospital to see an ailing senior police official undergoing treatment. On 29 August 1930, Benoy Basu
, casually clad in a traditional Bengali attire, breached the security and fired at close range. Lowman died instantly and Hodson, the Superintendent of Police, was grievously injured.
The next target was Col N.S. Simpson, the Inspector General of Prisons, who was infamous for the brutal oppression of the prisoners in the jails. The revolutionaries decided not only to murder him, but also to strike terror in British official circles by launching an attack on the Secretariat Building - the Writers' Building
in the Dalhousie square in Kolkata.
On 8 December 1930, Benoy Basu
along with Dinesh Gupta
and Badal Gupta
, dressed in European costume, entered the Writers' Building and shot Simpson dead.
British police started firing. What ensued was a brief gunfight between the three young revolutionaries and the police. Some other officers like Twynam, Prentice, and Nelson suffered injuries during the shooting.
Soon police overpowered them. However, the three did not wish to be arrested. Badal took potassium cyanide
, while Benoy and Dinesh shot themselves with their own revolvers. Badal died on the spot. Benoy was taken to the hospital where he died on 13 December 1930. Dinesh survived the near-fatal injury. He was convicted and the verdict of the trial was death by hanging for anti-government activities and murder.
Bengal
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...
Volunteers was an underground revolutionary group against the British rule of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.The group was functional from its inception in 1928 to the Indian independence.
The beginning
Subhas Chandra Bose organised a group of volunteers during the 1928 KolkataKolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
session of Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
.The group was named Bengal Volunteers and was under the leadership of Major Satya Gupta. Subhas Chandra Bose himself was the GOC. After the Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
session of the Congress was over, the Bengal Volunteers continued its activities. Soon, it was turned into an active revolutionary association.
Activities and notable members
Bengal Volunteers decided to launch 'Operation Freedom' in the early 1930s, primarily to protest against the police repression in different jails in Bengal.In August 1930, the revolutionary group planned to kill Lowman, the Inspector General of Police who was due to present in the Medical School Hospital to see an ailing senior police official undergoing treatment. On 29 August 1930, Benoy Basu
Benoy Basu
Benoy Krishna Basu or Benoy Basu or Benoy Bose was an Bengali Indian revolutionary.-Early life:Basu was born on 11 September 1908, in the village Rohitbhog in the Munshiganj District, now in Bangladesh...
, casually clad in a traditional Bengali attire, breached the security and fired at close range. Lowman died instantly and Hodson, the Superintendent of Police, was grievously injured.
The next target was Col N.S. Simpson, the Inspector General of Prisons, who was infamous for the brutal oppression of the prisoners in the jails. The revolutionaries decided not only to murder him, but also to strike terror in British official circles by launching an attack on the Secretariat Building - the Writers' Building
Writers' Building
The Writers' Building is the secretariat building of the State Government of West Bengal in India. It is and is located in West Bengal's capital city of Kolkata. The Writers' Building originally served as the office for writers of the British East India Company, hence the name...
in the Dalhousie square in Kolkata.
On 8 December 1930, Benoy Basu
Benoy Basu
Benoy Krishna Basu or Benoy Basu or Benoy Bose was an Bengali Indian revolutionary.-Early life:Basu was born on 11 September 1908, in the village Rohitbhog in the Munshiganj District, now in Bangladesh...
along with Dinesh Gupta
Dinesh Gupta
Dinesh Chandra Gupta or Dinesh Gupta was a Bengali revolutionary who fought against British colonial rule.-Early activities:...
and Badal Gupta
Badal Gupta
Badal Gupta was a Bengali Indian revolutionary who fought against British rule over India.-Early activities:Badal Gupta was born Sudhir Gupta in the village Purba Shimulia in the Bikrampur region of Dhaka, now in Munshiganj District, Bangladesh...
, dressed in European costume, entered the Writers' Building and shot Simpson dead.
British police started firing. What ensued was a brief gunfight between the three young revolutionaries and the police. Some other officers like Twynam, Prentice, and Nelson suffered injuries during the shooting.
Soon police overpowered them. However, the three did not wish to be arrested. Badal took potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide is an inorganic compound with the formula KCN. This colorless crystalline compound, similar in appearance to sugar, is highly soluble in water. Most KCN is used in gold mining, organic synthesis, and electroplating. Smaller applications include jewelry for chemical gilding and...
, while Benoy and Dinesh shot themselves with their own revolvers. Badal died on the spot. Benoy was taken to the hospital where he died on 13 December 1930. Dinesh survived the near-fatal injury. He was convicted and the verdict of the trial was death by hanging for anti-government activities and murder.