Revolutionary Independence Fighter At The Age Of 13, Martyr At The Age Of 19
28 Jun 2016 9:14 AM GMT
The Agni Yuva Of Freedom Struggle
The freedom movement of India saw the death of millions of Indians who risked their lives for the proclamation of the countrý’s independence from the hands of the British. Among them, Khudiram Bose was one of the youngest revolutionaries who became a martyr at the age of 19. He is still remembered as one of the most prominent figures of freedom movement in history of Bengal. Khudiram was a strong proponent of the ‘Agni Yuga’ or the fiery age, an era which was characterized by young people getting involved in the fight against the British without thinking twice about their own lives.
Born on December 3, 1889, Khudiram developed a revolutionary spirit in his childhood days and by the age of 13, he joined active political struggle. Inspired by the speeches of Sri Aurobindo, he took part in the secret planning sessions that were held by Sri Aurobindo and Sister Nivedita. In 1905, he got involved in the political party Jugantar under Barindra Kumar Ghosh to voice his dissent against the British government following the partition of Bengal.
A Plot that went wrong
Khudiram and his partner Prafulla chaki from Jugantar were sent to Muzaffarpur in Bihar to carry out the killing of Kingsford, the magistrate of Calcutta Presidency. Although they wanted to kill Kingsford, they had no intention to hurt anyone innocent. Therefore they decided to shoot him when he was on his way from the European Club to his home or vice versa. On April 30, 1908, Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki took position outside the European Club and targeted the carriage of Kingsford as it moved out of the club at around 8:30 in the evening. The bombs and the pistol shots hit the carriage. Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki immediately fled the place of crime thinking that their task were complete, only to be informed later that it was the wife and daughter of barrister Pringle Kennedy who were traveling inside Kingsford’s carriage. Both Khudiram and Prafulla were filled with remorse for their act of killing two innocent women. The duo were then constantly on the move to escape the eyes of the police.
Smiled at his death
Prafulla Chaki was traced by the assist of lawyer Nandalal Banerjee, but he shot himself instead of getting caught in the hands of police. Khudiram was arrested on May 1, 1908. His trial began on May 21 and it progressed very slowly. The arguments put forward to the High Court by Narendrakumar Basu would have put the case in favor of Khudiram Bose and could have saved his life, but the British government had already decided that they would award the death sentence to Khudiram Bose. An attempt of appeal made to the Governor General was also turned down and the death sentence for Khudiram Bose was made public on August 11, 1908. The court’s verdict led to a huge uproar and protests in Bengal. But Khudiram embraced his death gracefully with a smile on his face.