Alipore Bomb Case, 1908

Alipore Bomb Case 1908: The Alipore Bomb Case of 1908 refers to a significant legal and political event during British colonial rule in India. The incident revolved around an attempted assassination of a British judge, Kingsford, and the subsequent trial of several individuals associated with revolutionary activities against the colonial government. This event not only highlighted the clash between imperial authority and nationalist aspirations but also had far-reaching consequences for the trajectory of the Indian independence movement.

In this article, you will learn about Alipore Bombing Case of 1908, along with its background, aftermath, hearing, verdict and the impact of the case on Indian Independence Movement.

What is the Alipore Bomb Case of 1908?

The Alipore Bomb Case, also known as the Manicktolla bomb conspiracy, was a criminal case that took place in India in 1908. Trials were held in Calcutta for a number of Indian nationalists from the Anushilan Samiti who were accused of “waging war against the Government” of the British Raj.  The trial took place in May 1908 to May 1909 at the Alipore Sessions Court in Calcutta. The trial came after Bengali nationalists Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki attempted to kill Presidency Magistrate Douglas Kingsford in Muzaffarpur in April 1908. The Bengal police recognized this attempt as being connected to earlier attacks against the Raj, like the December 1907 attempt to derail the train escorting Lieutenant-Governor Sir Andrew Fraser.

Background of Alipore Bomb Case

Three secret societies were established in Bengal in the 1800s as a result of growing political resistance to British rule: the Anushilan Samity, led by Satish Chandra Basu; the Sarala Devi Chaudhurani society; and the Aurobindo Ghosh society. A supporter of violent nationalism, Ghosh went back to India and became good friends with Maratha nationalist Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He laid the foundation for an Indian nationalist revolution, influenced by the nationalism of Italy and Ireland. The division of Bengal in 1905 created extreme nationalist feelings in the Bhadralok group and helped Anushilan gain momentum with young people who were politically aware and educated.

Aurobindo established the radical nationalist Bengali journal Jugantar in 1906, as well as its English translation Bande Mataram, which became very popular in Bengal. The journal, which supported political violence and criticized British rule, was directed towards affluent, politically aware readers. Aurobindo and Bipin Chandra Pal were prosecuted in 1907 for their work on Bande Mataram.

By 1907, groups of young men attracted to the Jugantar teachings began to gather around Barin Ghosh.

• At the same time, Pulin Das’s Dhaka Anushilan Samiti was actively pursuing targets that included British administration authorities and interests.
• Barin’s team began experimenting with making explosives in 1906.
• The group’s focus has been on the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal since 1906.
• Dutta was able to produce a bomb strong enough to blow up a train by October of that year.
• Using dynamite that Barin’s crew had obtained, Dutt built a bomb using a homemade detonator.
• The train carrying Lieutenant Governor Andrew Fraser of Bengal was the intended target. In January 1908, Dutt successfully developed a more powerful picric acid bomb, which was tested in Deoghar.

Muzaffarpur Bombings and Aftermath

Barin Ghosh sent Hem Chandra Kanungo to Paris in 1907 to study how to make bombs. Hem went back to Bengal and collaborated with Fraser, aiming their efforts at Douglas Kingsford, the Chief Magistrate of the Presidency court in Alipore. Kingsford had presided over the Jugantar editors’ trials and imposed prison sentences on them. Jugantar was financially destroyed by 1908 after five additional prosecutions. Revolutionary nationalism was propagated and popularity was raised by these prosecutions. A Bengali child who was opposing the Jugantar trial was also given a beating by Kingsford. Hem made a book bomb and had it delivered to Kingsford’s residence.

The Plan and its Failure

In Muzaffarpur, Barin’s Anushilan made an attempt to assassinate Kingsford. When they went to Muzaffarpur in April, they brought a black powder fuse, a detonator, and a dynamite bomb. The Calcutta police were notified, but they disregarded the advice. Bose and Chaki examined Muzaffarpur Park on April 29 before hiding the device in a tree. While playing bridge at a club, Bose threw a bomb through the carriage window, seriously wounding both Kingsford and his wife. Bose and Chaki fled the town on their own, but an off-duty police officer detained Chaki and stopped Bose as he tried to flee. Chaki demonstrated his innocence by shooting himself in the mouth.

Arrest

The bombs in Calcutta on May 1, 1908, raised suspicions about Aurobindo and Barin. Halliday accused Aurobindo and the Manicktolla gang, without knowing that Fraser was considering arresting the Samiti leadership of the Ghosh brothers. Eight locations in Calcutta and the suburbs of Manicktolla were searched by police, and an operation was launched. Aurobindo warned Barin and his crew, and they started concealing bombs, guns, and weapons at their headquarters. 33 people, including Aurobindo, Sailen Bose, and Abhinash Bhattacharya, were taken into custody on May 2, 1908. When several police teams raided North Calcutta premises connected to the Ghosh brothers, they found explosives, bombs, and chemicals. Barin was detained in the Maniktala Garden premises together with fourteen other individuals.

Statement by Barin Ghosh

Fearing for the safety of the entire Samiti organization, Barin offered to confess and accept responsibility for the plot and the materials. Barin was joined in written declarations by Ullashkar Dutt, Indubhushan Roy, and Bibhutibhushan Sarkar, who implicated themselves and took full responsibility, believing that they would be given the death punishment in any case. These testimonies were then verified orally in front of a magistrate.

Initial Hearings of the Alipore Bomb Case

49 defendants were charged with “organizing to wage war against the government” and “waging war against the King” during the initial hearing in the case of Emperor v. Aurobindo Ghosh. Leonard Birley, ICS, and Eardley Norton led the prosecution. Because of Anushilan Samiti’s organizational structure and Aurobindo’s involvement in it, nothing was known about him personally despite the overwhelming evidence against the majority of the defendants. The prosecution sought to condemn Aurobindo because he was thought to be the most dangerous person leading the Samiti movement against the Raj.

Murder of Naren Goswami

Naren Goswami, a prosperous Anushilanite from Bengal, was the target of the prosecution’s search for witnesses to accuse Aurobindo. Goswami received a pardon in return for becoming a “King’s witness”. Using the discretionary powers that the Bengali government had granted him, Birley denied the defense’s efforts to cross-examine Goswami. On August 31, prisoners who had waged war against the King were condemned to stand trial. Using explosives, weaponry that had been smuggled into the jail, and acid, Barin Ghosh planned a jailbreak. But Goswami’s evidence might also implicate the Ghosh Brothers and a host of other people. Naren’s voice was silenced by Hem Chandra Das. Goswami was pursued by Kanailal Dutt and Satyendranath Bosu as they pretended to have abdominal pain. They fatally wounded Goswami by shooting him many times. Dutta entered a guilty plea, was found guilty, and hung. Despite the jury’s original verdict of not guilty, Bose was ultimately convicted guilty and given the death penalty.

Alipore Sessions Court

Barin and the other Manicktolla ashram prisoners withdrew their confessions early in the trial.

• However, the prosecution’s attempts to identify Aurobindo as the conspiracy’s mastermind and to connect him to the organization started to fall apart.
• Other than his stated opinions in Bande Mataram and Jugantar, nothing connected Aurobindo to the works of Barin’s group after the assassination of Naren Goswami.
• Importantly, the Bengal government began to worry that Anushilan Samiti would launch a rescue effort to free the undertrials as the proceedings continued into 1908 and 1909.
• As the hearings came to a close, there was a noticeable increase in assassinations and militant activities associated with Anushilan Samiti in larger Bengal. These reports even reached the Alipore court premises.
• Two days apart in November 1908, there were two public attempts at assassinations in Calcutta: one was directed towards Chief of Police Andrew Fraser, and the other involved the shooting death of Nandalal Bannerjee, the police officer who had detained Prafulla Chaki.
• Several Anushilan leaders, including Raja Subodh Mallik, Aurobindo’s uncle Krishna Kumar Mitra, and Bande Mataram editor Shyamsunder Chakravarty, were detained and deported to Rangoon by a shaken Bengal administration.
• In response, Anushilan shot and killed public prosecutor Ashutosh Biswas in March 1909 when he was shot by Charu Chandra Bose on the steps of the Alipore High Court, where the proceedings were about to end. The end of March 1909 saw the start of the closing arguments for boi th the prosecution and the defense under strict security.

The Verdict of the Alipore Bomb Case

Sessions Judge Charles Porten Beachcroft issued his rulings regarding the Calcutta conspiracies against the British on May 6, 1909. Ullaskar Dutt and Barin Ghosh were found guilty and given hanging death sentences, which were eventually reduced to life in prison. Thirteen more received life sentences along with property forfeitures. Aurobindo was among the seventeen declared not guilty. The Indian government was disappointed with the ruling since they had expected Aurobindo to be found guilty. There were concerns that the people who were found not guilty might have had orders from Hem on how to make the bombs. The administration made the decision not to file an appeal of the Aurobindo ruling. Ullaskar Dutt and Barindra Kumar Ghosh were the two who were given hanging sentences; they were eventually given life sentences in the cellular jail in Andamans.

Impact of Alipore Bomb Case on Indian Independence Movement

The Alipore Bomb Case of 1908 left an enduring impact on the Indian freedom movement, influencing both the strategies adopted by nationalists and the broader political consciousness. The failed attempt to assassinate British judge Kingsford intensified revolutionary fervor, prompting a shift toward more militant approaches within the independence movement. The sacrifices of individuals like Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki became symbolic of the determination to challenge colonial oppression.

The case also exposed the limitations of seeking justice within the colonial legal system. Aurobindo Ghosh’s trial highlighted the biases inherent in the British judicial process, prompting a reevaluation of legal strategies within the nationalist movement.While Aurobindo Ghosh withdrew from active politics and turned towards spirituality, the incident and the subsequent trial intensified the revolutionary activities against British rule. The sacrifices made by individuals like Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki became emblematic of the struggles against colonial oppression.

The Alipore Bomb Case played a crucial role in galvanizing nationalist sentiment, fostering unity, and inspiring future generations of freedom fighters. Its symbolism, coupled with the unintended consequences of a heightened British crackdown, contributed to a more organized and widespread resistance against colonial rule, ultimately shaping the trajectory of India’s journey toward independence.

Summary – Alipore Bomb Case, 1908

The Alipore Bomb Case of 1908, also known as the Manicktolla bomb conspiracy, marked a pivotal moment in the Indian independence movement. Triggered by the attempted assassination of British judge Douglas Kingsford by nationalists Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki, the case unfolded in the Alipore Sessions Court in Calcutta from May 1908 to May 1909. The trial exposed the revolutionary activities of groups like the Anushilan Samiti, led by figures such as Aurobindo Ghosh and Barin Ghosh. The impact of the case was profound, intensifying nationalist fervor, highlighting the biases of the colonial legal system, and inspiring future freedom fighters. The sacrifices of Bose and Chaki became symbolic of the struggle against colonial oppression, shaping the trajectory of India’s journey toward independence.

FAQs on Alipore Bomb Case

1. What is the Alipore Bomb Case?

The case, which took place at the Alipore Sessions Court in Calcutta, ran from May 1908 to May 1909. The case started when Bengali nationalists Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki attempted to kill President Douglas Kingsford at Muzaffarpur in April 1908.

2. Who was the Judge of Alipore Conspiracy Case?

It is ironic that Charles Poten Beachroft, who took the ICS exam with Aurobindo and was ranked lower than him, was the judge who presided over the case trial at the Alipore Sessions Court in Calcutta.

3. Who was the Lawyer in the Alipore Bomb Case?

Chittaranjan Das was the lawyer in the Alipore Bomb Case. ‘Emperor vs. Aurobindo Ghosh and others’ was the previous name of the Alipore conspiracy case. In 1908, a criminal case took place in India.

4. Why is Alipore Jail Famous?

Alipore jail witnessed the arrests and imprisonment of notable national figures including Jawaharlal Nehru, Bidhan Chandra Roy, Rishi Aurobindo, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

5. What was Muzaffarpur Bomb Case?

In the Muzaffarpur area of modern-day Bihar, on April 30, 1908, Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki detonated a bomb on the carriage of Calcutta’s Chief Presidency Magistrate, Douglas Kingsford. Two of the women who were in the carriage died as a result.

6. Who were Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki?

One of the youngest revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement was the freedom fighter Khudiram Bose. Khudiram and Prafulla Chaki were dispatched to assassinate Kingsford, the magistrate of Muzaffarpur, Bihar, and eventually the Calcutta Presidency Magistrate.