Flash Back

Murder And Martyrdom: All Within Jail

One has to walk down the memory lane almost a century, to have a clear and correct idea of the title. The first ever political conspiracy, Alipur Bomb Case, from the bombs found at Maniktala, was being tried at Alipur and the accused were lodged in the Central Jail there. Aurobindo Ghosh was the leader but only of a select and serious section of the accused. Kanailal belonged to the other group which indulged in fun and frolic and played all kinds of pranks. Even Aurobindo used to enjoy this juvenile pastime. Their attempt was to keep away from the boredom of the lengthy trail. Officials, particularly the Europeans, used to marvel at the carefree attitude of these young men, even under the shadow of impending death. When the death sentence was passed, Ullaskar Datta returned from the Court smiling. A European warden remarked; 'Look, the man is going to be hanged and he smiles'. Yes, they laughed at death. Kanailal is said to have gained 16 pounds in weight. That is the stuff the revolutionaries were made of. But there was one sore point, a black spot, in an apparently carefree atmosphere. One of the accused, Naren Gosain, became an approver. He implicated even Aurobindo. This led to an imperative of urgent action. He had to be done away with before cross-examination without which his evidence would not be accepted by the court. A new conspiracy by the revolutionaries had to be hatched. Naren had to be done away with, urgently. He was already segregated to the European ward for safety. The two revolutionaries who had to do the job were Kanailal Dutta and Satyen Bose, who was a somewhat sickly person, a Asthmatic, always coughing. On that ground he sought for a transfer to the jail hospital. From there he sent a word to Naren Gosain that he would also like to make a confession and become an approver. The bait was swallowed. Naren came without any suspicion. He was accompanied by a European warden, Higgins by name. A word was sent to Satyen to present himself. He did come but not alone. Earlier Kanailal had entered the hospital on the plea of a sudden and severe colic pain. Suddenly, the two ' murderers - martyrs - to - be' started firing at Naren Gosain. They were desperate and would not allow the traitor to escape. Naren fell into a nearby drain when he tried to escape. The Jailer and his Deputy rushed in to intervene.