Members of the Chittagong Branch of the Jugantar ;
The other members of the branch selected for the armed uprisings were, Leader-Masterda Surya Sen, Members included : Ganesh Ghosh, Loknath Baul, Tarakeshwar Dastidar, Nirmal Sen, Ambika Chakrabarty, Naresh Roy, Sasanka Dutta, Ardhendu Dastidar, Harigopal Baul, Ananta Sing, Jiban Ghosal, Anand Gupta, Pritilata Waddedar and Kalpana Dutta. Also among them were a 14 year old boy Subodh Roy who was alive till 27 Aug. 2006 as he was released from Andaman Jail in 1940.
Cellular jail
The Plan:
Surya Sen devised the strategy of capturing the two main armouries in Chttagong and then destroying the Telegraph and Telephone office, followed by assissination of members of the "European Club", the majority of whom were government or military officers involved in maitaining British Raj in India. Firearms retailers also to be raided and rail and communication lines disrupted.
History, Amnesia and Public memory:
Help was taken to write the incident from the Article written by Sri Sachidananda Mohanty with his inerview with the only living , at the time of his interview, a member of the revolutionary activities, Sri Binode Behari Choydhury.
On 18th April, 1930;
On the date specified at 10 o'clockon April 18, 1930.as per plan , the armoury of the plice wascaptured by a group of revolutionaries led by Ganesh Ghosh and another group of ten led by Loknath Baul took over the Auxilary force Armoury. Unfortunately they could not locate the store for ammunation. They also succeeded to dislocate the Telegraph and Telephone facilities. The action was undertaken by 65 revolutionries in the name of Indian Republican Army, Chittagong Branch.
Preetilata,who led the group of Pahartali European Club
They proclaimed a provisional revolutionary Government, unfurled the national flag and Surya Sen made the following declaration;
"The great task of revolution of India had fallen on the Indian Republican Army. We in Chittagong had the honour to achieve the patriotic task of of revolution for fufilling the aspiration and urge of our nation."
Having made the proclamation the group retreated and got some snacks. Later, they fought a pitched battle in the surrounding hills of Jalalabad against a contingent of the Eastern Frontier Rifles under the command of Lt. Col. Dallas Smith. They lost several men and flicted heavy casualities on the soldiers pursuing them. Some of the revulotionaries like Ananta Sing escaped to Calcutta. Others the largest group , remained underground and fought a guerilla war for three years . several encounters took place including at Dhalghat in June, 1932. Preetilata and her group attacked the European club at Pahartali. Wounded, she took potassium cyanide and embraced martyrdom in 1932.
