| Bagha Jatin (1879-1915)
revolutionary activist. Bagha Jatin's real name was Jatindra Nath Mukherjee.
He hailed from Jhenaidha district. It is said that he came to be called
'Bagha Jatin' after killing a tiger single-handed and without any arms.
He learnt short hand and type writing after passing the Entrance Examination
and was appointed a stenographer to the government of Bengal. Jatin, a
strong and stout young man, proved his efficiency as a sincere, honest,
obedient and diligent employee. Jatin, a man with a strong sense of self-respect
and national pride, came in contact with aurobindo
ghosh, and took part in climbing, swimming and shooting in
the body building Akhda. While working for the Yugantar, he met
Naren (manabendra
nath roy) and the two soon gained the confidence of one another.
In 1908 Jatin, with some revolutionaries, was implicated in
the Alipore Conspiracy Case. In the judgement Barin
Ghosh was deported for life, many others were sentenced to various
terms and the anushilan
samiti was declared illegal and banned. Jatin and Naren,
acquitted for want of evidence, went in hiding to Hawra-Shibpur
area and continued underground works with other revolutionaries.
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Bagha Jatin |
Jatin was once again arrested in the Hawra-Shibpur Conspiracy
Case, and those who were arrested with him were given the common
name 'Jatin's gang'. They were so ruthlessly tortured that some of them
died and some went insane. Jatin, though acquitted in this case also for
want of evidence, was dismissed from service. When in jail, Jatin and
Naren made a long term programme to capture power through armed insurrection.
They planned to unite different groups of patriots and with this intention
Naren travelled extensively all over India as a Sanyasi and organised
the revolutionaries in Bengal and elsewhere. The leaders of various groups
gathered together on the occasion of relief works during the floods in
Hughli and Midnapore. They chose Jatin Mukherjee and Rashbehari Bose as
leaders for Bengal and northern India respectively.
Attempts were made to organise the Indian revolutionaries outside India also. A Yugantar Ashram was formed at San Francisco and the Shikh community took active part in the struggle for freedom. With the outbreak of the First World War, the Indian revolutionaries of Europe gathered together in Berlin to form the Indian Independence Party and sought German assistance, to which the German government agreed. The Indian Independence Party sent an emissary to Jatin Mukherjee to negotiate with the German Consul General in Calcutta. In the meantime Jatin was made the Commander-in-Chief of the entire revolutionary forces. Naren, leaving Jatin in hiding in Baleswar (Orissa), went to Batavia to negotiate a deal with German authorities there for the shipment of arms and financial help. Police, however, discovered the hideout of Jatin in a paddy field. On 9 September 1915, after heavy exchange of fire, two revolutionaries surrendered. Police found Jatin dead with two others injured. Of the two injured one died later and was identified as Chitta Priya Roy Choudhury of Madaripur. [T
Hossain] |
