Prafulla Chaki
Encyclopedia
Prafulla Chaki (1888–1908) was a Bengali
revolutionary associated with the Jugantar
group of revolutionaries who carried out assassinations against British colonial officials in an attempt to secure Indian independence.
district, now in Bangladesh
. He was expelled from Rangpur Zilla School
when studying in Class 9 for taking part in a students' demonstration that violated the Carlisle Circular of the government of East Bengal and Assam. Then he joined Rangpur National School where he came in contact with revolutionaries like Jitendranarayan Roy, Abinash Chakravarti, Ishan Chandra Chakravarti and became a believer and practitioner of the revolutionary philosophies.
and he was enlisted in Jugantar
party. His first assignment was to kill Sir Joseph Bampfylde Fuller (1854-1935), the first Lieutenant Governor of the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam. However, the plan did not materialize.
Next, Prafulla, along with Khudiram Bose
was chosen for the murdering of Kingsford, the Calcutta Presidency Magistrate, and later ,magistrate of Muzaffarpur
, Bihar
.
ladies - Mrs. and Miss Kennedy were killed. The revolutionaries fled.
. Nandalal Banerjee, a Sub-Inspector of Police, suspected Prafulla at the Samastipur
Railway station. A commotion and a short chase ensued. Prafulla was soon cornered and he took his own life by shooting at the head.
Khudiram
was later arrested and was hanged to death.
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
revolutionary associated with the Jugantar
Jugantar
Jugantar or Yugantar was one of the two main secret revolutionary trends operating in Bengal for Indian independence.This association, like Anushilan Samiti started in the guise of suburban fitness club. Several Jugantar members were arrested, hanged, or deported for life to the Cellular Jail in...
group of revolutionaries who carried out assassinations against British colonial officials in an attempt to secure Indian independence.
Early life
Prafulla Chaki was born on December 10, 1888 in the Bihari village of BograBogra District
Bogra is a northern district of Bangladesh, in the Rajshahi Division. It is called the gateway to the north Bengal. It is an industrial city where many small and mid sized industries are housed. Bogra district was a part of the ancient Pundravardhana territory and Bogra was the capital of...
district, now in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. He was expelled from Rangpur Zilla School
Rangpur Zilla School
Rangpur Zila School is a school located in Rangpur District, Bangladesh. It is one of the earliest schools established in Bengal....
when studying in Class 9 for taking part in a students' demonstration that violated the Carlisle Circular of the government of East Bengal and Assam. Then he joined Rangpur National School where he came in contact with revolutionaries like Jitendranarayan Roy, Abinash Chakravarti, Ishan Chandra Chakravarti and became a believer and practitioner of the revolutionary philosophies.
Revolutionary activities
Barin Ghosh brought Prafulla to 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...
and he was enlisted in Jugantar
Jugantar
Jugantar or Yugantar was one of the two main secret revolutionary trends operating in Bengal for Indian independence.This association, like Anushilan Samiti started in the guise of suburban fitness club. Several Jugantar members were arrested, hanged, or deported for life to the Cellular Jail in...
party. His first assignment was to kill Sir Joseph Bampfylde Fuller (1854-1935), the first Lieutenant Governor of the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam. However, the plan did not materialize.
Next, Prafulla, along with Khudiram Bose
Khudiram Bose
Khudiram Bose was a Bengali revolutionary, one of the youngest revolutionaries early in the Indian independence movement...
was chosen for the murdering of Kingsford, the Calcutta Presidency Magistrate, and later ,magistrate of Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur Town is a town in Muzaffarpur district in the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of Muzaffarpur district and Tirhut division....
, Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
.
The Muzaffarpur killing
Khudiram and Prafulla watched the usual movements of Kingsford and prepared a plan to kill him. In the evening of April 30, 1908, the duo waited in front of the gate of European Club for the carriage of Kingsford to come. When a vehicle came out of the gate, they threw bombs and blew up the carriage. However, the vehicle was not carrying Kingsford, rather two BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ladies - Mrs. and Miss Kennedy were killed. The revolutionaries fled.
The manhunt and suicide
Prafulla and Khudiram decided for separate routes for escape. Prafulla took disguise and boarded train to 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...
. Nandalal Banerjee, a Sub-Inspector of Police, suspected Prafulla at the Samastipur
Samastipur
Samastipur is a city and a municipality in Samastipur district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is headquarters of the Samastipur district.It is situated on the banks of Burhi Gandak River.-Demographics:...
Railway station. A commotion and a short chase ensued. Prafulla was soon cornered and he took his own life by shooting at the head.
Khudiram
Khudiram Bose
Khudiram Bose was a Bengali revolutionary, one of the youngest revolutionaries early in the Indian independence movement...
was later arrested and was hanged to death.
External links
- article on Prafulla Chaki, BanglapediaBanglapediaBanglapedia, or the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, is the first Bangladeshi encyclopedia. It is available in print, CD-ROM format and online, in both Bangla and English. The print version comprises ten 500-page volumes...
- Muktadhara article