Discover the Chittagong Armoury Raid of April 1930, led by Surya Sen, aimed at challenging British authority. Learn about the raid’s execution, impact, and Sen’s legacy.
During the 1920s, many revolutionary groups in Bengal reorganized their underground activities while working under the Congress, gaining access to the masses and strengthening the Congress's organizational base in towns and villages.
Many revolutionaries cooperated with C.R. Das in his Swarajist work. After Das’s death in 1925, the Bengal Congress split into two factions—one led by J.M. Sengupta (supported by the Anushilan group) and the other by Subhash Bose (backed by the Yugantar group).
Revolutionary actions included an assassination attempt on Calcutta Police Commissioner Charles Tegart by Gopinath Saha in 1924, which mistakenly killed another man named Day. The government responded with severe repression, and many revolutionaries, including Subhash Bose, were arrested. Gopinath Saha was hanged.
Due to government repression and internal factionalism, revolutionary activity in Bengal faced setbacks. However, many revolutionaries soon regrouped.
Among the new 'Revolt Groups,' the Chittagong group under Surya Sen emerged as the most active and famous.
Surya Sen, a participant in the Non-Cooperation Movement, became a teacher in the national school in Chittagong.
Imprisoned from 1926 to 1928 for revolutionary activities, he continued his work in the Congress and served as the secretary of the Chittagong District Congress Committee.
Sen was a lover of poetry and admired Tagore and Qazi Nazrul Islam. He believed that "Humanism is a special virtue of a revolutionary."
In April 1930, Surya Sen and his associates—Anant Singh, Ganesh Ghosh, and Lokenath Baul—organized an armed rebellion with the aim to challenge the British Empire’s authority.
The plan involved seizing arms from two main armouries in Chittagong, disrupting communication lines, and isolating Chittagong from the rest of Bengal.
The raid, conducted by 65 activists under the banner of the Indian Republican Army—Chittagong Branch, was successful. Sen hoisted the national flag, took a salute, and proclaimed a provisional revolutionary government.
After the raid, the group dispersed into neighboring villages and targeted government installations.
Surya Sen was arrested in February 1933 and hanged in January 1934. Despite his execution, the raid inspired many youths, leading to a surge in revolutionary activity.
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