Bagha Jatin
Jul 11 2022 Indian fighters for freedom Bagha JatinBagha Jatin is the nickname of Jatindranath Mukherjee, a popular revolutionary activist during the British rule in India. He was the chief of the Jugantar group and led many activities that aimed at weakening the British supremacy in India. His personality had a spark and he exuded such confidence that despite being anti-British, many British officials talked about him with respect.
Birth and early life
Born in Kayagram Village, a Bengal district, on January 7, 1879, Bagha Jatin had exceptional courage and was bestowed with great physical agility. He was raised by his mother; his father had passed away when he was just 5 years old. As his mother did not believe in discrimination based on caste and religion, Jatindranath grew up to be a kind and charitable person. He became quite popular for his noble deeds towards people of other castes and religions, especially Muslims.
Jatindranath had a penchant for arts and that is why in 1895, he took admission in the Calcutta Central College for studying Fine Arts. For increasing his scope of employment, he also started learning typing. It was during this period of his life that he came in contact with Swami Vivekananda, who changed his perspective about life and its goals.
He realized the impact of damage that the foreign rule was causing to India. He also helped Sister Nivedita, a prominent disciple of Swami Vivekananda, in her charity work for people affected during famines and floods. Jatindranath’s trip to Ambu Guha for gaining proficiency in wrestling proved to be life-changing.
There, he met his future mentor Sachin Bannerjee, who later guided him in his revolutionary pursuits against the British colonial rule. In 1899, Jatindranath quit his studies and went to Muzzaffarpur to assist barrister Kennedy.
Revolutionary activities
Certain reports suggest that while he was a student, Bagha Jatin led the Anushilan Samiti that killed the colonial officers and those, who favored the British rule. After coming back to Calcutta, he opened bomb-making factories in Maniktala and Deoghar.
His party Jugantor played an important role in collecting support of the Germans against the British rule. Jatindranath led the process of utilizing the aids received for promoting his revolutionary activities.
Martyrdom of the patriot
The information regarding Bagha Jatin’s association with Germany alerted the colonial authorities. They responded by cordoning off the coastal areas around Noakhali and the Ganges. Police also went to Balasore to look for him. Jatindranath was well aware of the police activities and hence, he crossed deep forests and hills of Balasore to arrive at the railway station.
He was being hounded not only by the police but also by the natives. The colonial authorities had declared a reward for making available any information related to the location of Jatindranath. It was raining heavily; and the revolutionary and his friends had to take shelter in Chashakhand. In spite of repeated requests from his friends, Jatin did not abandon them and put himself at the risk of being arrested.
The authorities soon found out about the hiding place and a firing ensued. A number of colonial officers got hurt in the crossfire and Jatindranath too was seriously injured. He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital on 10th September, 1915.