Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, and many other freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for our freedom, including young freedom fighters. Unlike these leaders, one of the youngest freedom fighters whose legend was forgotten somehow as his legacy remained largely limited to Bengal was Khudiram Bose. He was the one who embraced death with a smile on his face & is highly regarded in Bengal for his active participation in every revolutionary circle. He was one of the youngest freedom fighters of the Indian freedom struggle who was hung at the tender age of 18 on August 11, 1908.
But what’s his story? why was he hanged? What was the cause of his assassination? What was his role in our Indian freedom struggle? In this article, we will discuss these questions and remember the unsung story of Khudiram Bose. Let’s get started.
Who was Khudiram Bose?
Khudiram Bose was born in 1889 in a small village in the Midnapore district. From his adolescent years, he had actively participated in many revolutionary activities, inspired by a series of public lectures delivered by Sri Aurobindo and Sister Nivedita when this duo visited Midnapore in the early 1900s.
Bengal was partitioned in 1905 when Bose actively participated in protests against the British. When Bose was just 15, he joined the Anushilan Samiti, an early 20th-century organization that propounded revolutionary activities in the State. Within a year, he had learned how to make bombs and would plant them in front of police stations as a symbol of protest.
Why was Khudiram Bose hanged?
In 1908, Bose, along with another revolutionary, Prafulla Chaki, was assigned to assassinate the district magistrate of Muzaffarpur, British Judge Douglas Kingsford. Kingsford was the target due to his tortuous activities and judgments affecting the revolutionaries. As a result, the freedom fighters decided to hurl a bomb at him.
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Khudiram was highly motivated by a series of public lectures by Sri Aurobindo & Sister Nivedita. He became a volunteer when he was just 15, and his first arrest was laid down for distributing pamphlets against the British rule in India. After a year, Khudiram participated in revolutionary activities such as planting bombs near police stations, etc.
During that time, the Chief Presidency Magistrate of Calcutta was Douglas H Kingsford. Infamous for handing out strong and harsh punishments to freedom fighters, he was a prime target of the revolutionaries. There was this one incident that made Kingsford a prime target for Bose, i.e., the case of Aurobindo Ghosh, the editor of Bande Mataram, and its publisher, Bipin Chandra Pal.
A 15-year-old youngster, Sushil Sen, once opposed the cruelty of cops beating revolutionaries assembled before the court, and Kingsford ordered 15 lashes for the young boy. With every lash, Sen shouted ‘Vande Mataram.’ This news was widely published in the press. So this led to the outrage of the revolutionaries against Kingsford.
Then the British Government knew about this and transferred Kingsford to Muzaffarpur, hoping the anger of the revolutionaries in Calcutta would settle. The revolutionaries heard about this plan and prepared to assassinate Kingsford at Muzaffarpur. Hence, the folks in charge decided to appoint Prafulla Kumar Chaki and Khudiram Bose for this assassination.
The two young revolutionaries reached Muzaffarpur in August 1908 and disguised themselves as ‘Haren Sarkar’ and ‘Dinesh Roy.’ They were on spy missions, trying to learn about Kingsford’s routine. They soon got a good idea of Kingsford’s routine, his timings at court, the European Station Club, and his house. So, they decided to use a bomb.
It is widely believed that Prafulla and Khudiram attacked Kingsford’s carriage when it left the club. Then Khudiram threw a bomb at it, and the hit was a success! However, it was not Kingsford who died but two innocent ladies Mrs. Kennedy & and her daughter. Both the women lost their lives.
Apprehended by the policemen and later handcuffed, Khudiram was brought to the district magistrate, Mr. Woodman. Prafulla, on the other hand, committed suicide by shooting himself before the cops could get hold of him. Unaware of Prafulla’s death, Bose assumed full responsibility for the Muzaffarpur bombings in front of the district magistrate. After the trial, which began in 1908, he was ultimately sentenced to death.
Khudiram Bose smiled at his death verdict, prompting the judge to ask him whether he understood the full extent of his punishment. Bose was cheeky and replied that not only had he understood the verdict, but he was also ready to teach the judge bomb-making if given the time. After much persuasion by his Counsellors, Khudiram agreed to appeal against this judgment which was dismissed. The British judges announced the final verdict on July 13th, 1908. and the British judges confirmed his conviction. An order was issued to carry out a death sentence before 11th August.
On the date of hanging, a crowd gathered with flowers and garlands. Khudiram reportedly walked up to the gallows confidently and was hung shortly after. His funeral procession went through Kolkata and was full of people offering flowers to his body.
Conclusion
At the tender age of 18, Khudiram Bose was hung. His death sparked zeal among revolutionaries, who heaped honors upon him. The poet, Pitambar Das, wrote a song filled with the passion that Khudiram had for his country. For his active participation in revolutionary struggles, in his honor, the Muzaffarpur jail, where he was hanged, was named “Khudiram Bose Memorial Central Jail.”