Often associated with Bhagat Singh, Batukeshwar Dutt is an unsung and forgotten hero who made it through alive, fighting for the freedom of the country. In a letter, Bhagat Singh, while in the jail wrote to his mother, "I am going, but in Batukeshwar Dutt I am leaving behind a part of myself". He was one of the few freedom fighters who was kept alive and carried forward the dreams of the numerous revolutionaries who had laid their precious lives for the motherland. Although being involved in one of the most illustrious episodes of the freedom movement, he led a life of destitution after India gained independence.
Early Life Of Batukeshwar Dutt
Batukeshwar Dutt was born on 18th November 1910 to Goshtha Bihari Dutta at Oaadi village in Khandaghosh Thana, Burdwan District, West Bengal. He studied at Pandit Prithi Nath High School in Cawnpore(Kanpur), to complete his graduation. In the 1920s, Kanpur had become a major center for revolutionary activities and was highly energetic as it hosted a number of nationalists on its premises.
It was during this period when B.K. Dutt met Bhagat Singh when he joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). Even though he was imbued with the feeling of patriotism since his childhood, meeting people with the same goal and fervor as his, his purpose of freedom became stronger. Dutt left his studies midway to partake in the revolutionary movement and soon became a very popular name amongst the members of the group.
Beginning Of Batukeshwar Dutt's Revolutionary Journey And His Comradery With Bhagat Singh
The passion for national freedom was instilled in the mind of Batukeshwar Dutt since his teenage days. He had witnessed a lot of incidents of torture and humiliation by the British that impacted his young mind. One such incident was when he saw a child getting a harsh beating from the Britishers as the Mall Street in Kanpur on which he was wandering was prohibited to be used by the Indians. This made his will stronger to seek out anti colonial activities. Later Dutt joined Prajatantrik Sangh and met Sureshchandra Bhattacharya, who was the editor at Pratap, a popular revolutionary weekly newspaper.
Through him, Dutt got in contact with Sachindranath Sanyal (co-founder of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA). It was around the same time in 1924 that Dutt and Bhagat Singh joined the revolutionary group and soon they became a popular duo. They not only shared the same love for their country but were also avid readers and enjoyed books written by revolutionary authors or poets. Dutt would often recite Nazrul Islam's and other Bengali poets' revolutionary poems to Bhagat Singh which he thoroughly enjoyed.
Central Assembly Bombing Incident (1929)
The Kakori conspiracy case of 1925 had created a stir between the British government and the Indian revolutionaries due to which several leaders were arrested and witch hunted. The incident was carried out to suppress the British empire to achieve independence, executed by the members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, which was planned by Ram Prasad Bismil.
The revolutionaries stood against the merciless killing of the group member, Bismil in great intensity. To make the 'deaf hear' an act of bombing at the Central Assembly was planned for which initially Dutt and Sukhdev were given the charge. Later, it was entrusted this job to Dutt and Bharat Singh while Chandrashekhar Azad and other comrades would rescue them. On April 8th, 1929 at 11 am, they threw two bombs from the Visitor's Gallery inside the Central Legislative Assembly.
They also threw pink pamphlets shouting the slogans of "Inquilab Zindabad" with which the whole assembly soon started reverberating. Inspector Terry and Inspector Johnson arrested the two young revolutionaries who did not even try to save themselves by fleeing even when the smoke of explosives had filled the entire chamber of the assembly. They decided to surrender to the British to inspire other revolutionaries and ignite the fire of nationalism in them.
The Defence of India Act of 1915 was enacted to curtail the nationalist activities and used to an unfair extent against the Indians. It led to the growing revulsion among Indians as a number of prominent nationalist leaders who were employed in non violent approaches were coerced and suppressed. Passing of bills like Trade Dispute Bill and the Public Safety Bill enraged the revolutionaries and led to massive disorders giving them an opportunity to raise the voices against cruel judiciary.
The Consequence Of The Bombing Incident
After concluding the intentional deed, Batukeshwar Dutt and Bhagat Singh surrendered themselves and were arrested by British officials. Along with Sukhdev Thapar, they were tried in the Central Assembly Bomb Case, 1929 under section 307 of the Penal Code and Section 4 of the Explosives Substances Act, and were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sessions Judge of Delhi. He was also tried for his involvement in the murder of John Saunders, a British police officer.
Dutt was taken to the Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. However, it made his will stronger to protest against the British by going on a hunger strike in the jail. The hunger strike was pre planned by Dutt and Bhagat Singh while going to their respective jails as they were subjected to extreme torture and were treated as common prisoners. Their strike was one of the longest strikes in the political journey of Indian nationalists, which lasted for 114 days, in demand for better living conditions for political prisoners.
He also played a major part in establishing Communist Consolidation comprising of co-revolutionaries Jaidev Kapoor, Shiv Verma, and Bejoy Kumar Sinha who belonged to
the Marxist study circle. While being in the jail Dutt used to extensively read about socialist theory and became a hard-core socialist. Later, Dutt was transferred to a series of jails, Hazaribagh jail, Delhi jail, and Patna jail, finally being released on September 8, 1938, on medical grounds.
The prisoners at Kalapani jail were subjected to inhuman torture and cruel atrocities of which Batukeshwar Dutt was one. He was brutally beaten and force fed to break the hunger strike. Yatindranath Nath, a great freedom fighter lost his life due to force feeding as the milk went into his lungs and caused serious complications. Instances like this were very common in the jails where the prisoners were considered humans. The constant beatings, torture, and over 100 long days of hunger strike deteriorated Dutt's health even more. He was transferred to Bankipur Jail in Bihar.
Before transferring to Bankipur Jail, he was kept at Delhi Jail where he was visited by Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Jawaharlal Nehru. Even on reaching Bihar, his condition showed no signs of improvement. Dr Prasad requested the chief minister of Bihar, Shrikrishna Singh, to let Dutt out of the jail on medical grounds. He further wrote to the Bengal Governor and the Executive Viceroy demanding Dutt's release.
The newspaper, Searchlight also demanded for Batukeshwar Dutt's release, and ultimately after all the calls of his release, Dutt was sent to his brother Vishweswar Das in Jakkanpur on 8th September 1938.
The Life After
After being released from the jail, Dutt actively participated in the political movements. In May 1929, a three-day conference at Mukur village of Unnao district was organized under his presidentship by the communists group.
It saw participation from former HSRA revolutionaries, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Manmanthnath Gupt, Sachindranath Sanyal, Yashpal, Bhagwandas Mahor, and Ramkishan Khatri among others, and ended with the formation of the provincial Navyuvak Sangh. It brought together the Communist Party and the revolutionary groups who had been working separately till now.
In 1942 there was a surge uprising in the Quit India Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, in which Dutt actively participated. He was jailed again for four years in Motihari Jail, in Champaran, Bihar. After India gained independence, he got married in 1947 and settled down.
Post Independence Recognition
Batukeshwar Dutt was among the few who survived to see the independent India. However, he withdrew himself from further political activities after India's independence as he was disappointed by the state of affairs of mainstream Indian politics, though he continued his involvement with socialist literature.
He felt that the revolutionaries fought for something different and was dissatisfied with the present political state. Even Shiv Verma, another comrade, was of the same opinion. The independent India did not accord any recognition to the freedom fighters who were alive, including Dutt, who was forgotten to the extent that he had to spend his remaining life in poverty.
His later life was painful and tragic. After being released from the jail after independence, he was not valued among his fellow Indians and started a transport business to make ends meet. He received no financial aid from the state or central government which made it difficult to manage his regular expenditures. He even tried his hand as an agent of a cigarette company but it did not work for him. He even had to shuttle between tobacco shops in Patna, and sometimes sell bread and biscuits for a living.
He was asked for his proof of identity when he wanted to start the process for the transportation business. The commissioner was made to apologize when Dr Rajendra Prasad learned of this incident. Dutt was nominated to the Bihar legislative Council for four months but did not receive much in terms of wide recognition. He never availed any of the government aids, such as government housing.
Dutt fell severely ill during 1964, for which he had to be admitted to a government hospital in Patna but he was not offered a bed. The enraged Chamanlal Azad, a freedom fighter wrote to the government about the ill-treatment faced by Dutt. To this, the Punjab government offered free treatment to Dutt in Delhi and Chandigarh and also a medical grant of Rs. 1000.
After being diagnosed with Cancer, Dutt was shifted to AIIMS Delhi where he reached the brink of his death. He was visited by the Punjab chief minister to whom he requested that his body be cremated in the same place as of his dearest friend Bhagat Singh. He breathed his last on July 20, 1965, and was laid on the Indo-Pak border, Hussainwala, alongside Sukhdev, Bhagat Singh, and Raj Guru.Even though the Indian government named several lanes and roads after Batukeshwar Dutt to honor him but failed to give him the due recognition and respect that he originally deserved.
Note for UPSC Aspirants: For UPSC aspirants interested in exploring further, here are some keywords to guide your research:Batukeshwar Dutt, freedom fighter, Bhagat Singh, revolutionary, Indian independence, Central Assembly Bombing, socialism, imprisonment, hunger strike, destitution, post-independence, recognition, neglect, poverty, sacrifice.
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