Batukeshwar Dutta | |
|---|---|
 Dutta in 1952 | |
| Born | (1910-11-18)18 November 1910 |
| Died | 20 July 1965(1965-07-20) (aged 54) |
| Nationality | British Indian (1910–1947) Indian (1947–1965) |
| Occupation | Freedom Fighter |
| Organization(s) | Hindustan Socialist Republican Association Naujawan Bharat Sabha Communist Consolidation |
| Known for | Indian Freedom Movement |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
Batukeshwar Dutta (orDutta; 18 November 1910 – 20 July 1965) was an Indiansocialist and independence fighter in the early 1900s.[2] He is best known for having exploded two bombs, along withBhagat Singh, in theCentral Legislative Assembly inNew Delhi on 8 April 1929. After they were arrested, tried and imprisoned for life, he and Singh initiated a historichunger strike protesting against the abusive treatment of Indian political prisoners, and eventually secured some rights for them.[3] He was also a member of theHindustan Socialist Republican Association.
Batukeshwar Dutta — also known as B. K. Dutta, Battu, and Mohan — was a son of Goshtha Bihari Dutta. He was born on 18 November 1910 inONARI[(Khandaghosh P.S.)] village,Purba Bardhaman district, in what is nowWest Bengal in aBengali kayastha family. He graduated fromPandit Prithi Nath High School inKanpur. He was a close associate of freedom fighters such asChandra Shekhar Azad andBhagat Singh, the latter of whom he met inCawnpore in 1924. He learned about bomb-making while working for theHindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).
To subdue the rise of revolutionaries likeBhagat Singh, theBritish government decided to implement theDefence of India Act 1915, which gave thepolice a free hand.[4] Influenced by a French anarchist who bombed the FrenchChamber of Deputies, Singh proposed to the HSRA his plan to explode a bomb inside theCentral Legislative Assembly, to which it agreed. Initially, it was decided that Dutt andSukhdev Thapar would plant the bomb while Singh would travel to theUSSR. However, later the plan was changed and Dutt was entrusted with planting it alongside Singh.[5] On 8 April 1929, Singh and Dutt threw two bombs inside the assembly rushing from Visitor's Gallery. The smoke from the bomb filled the Hall and they shouted slogans of "Inquilab Zindabad!" (Hindi-Urdu: "Long Live the Revolution!") and showered leaflets.[6][7][8] The leaflet claimed that the act was done to oppose the Trade Disputes and the Public Safety Bill being presented in the Central Assembly and the death ofLala Lajpat Rai.[9] Few sustained injuries in the explosion and there were no deaths; Singh and Dutt claimed that the act was intentional.[10] Singh and Dutt were arrested,[10] as planned.[11][12]
The Tribune reported the incident as:
WhenMr Patel fromIndia got up to give his ruling on the Public Safety Bill, two bombs were thrown from a gallery near the seat ofGeorge Schuster. The whole house was dispersed in the panic caused. George Schuster andB. Dalal were injured while few other members received minor injuries. Singh and Dutt were arrested by theBritish.
Ten minutes later, the Assembly got reassembled. The Chamber was filled with smoke. Mr Patel adjourned the House till next Thursday. A red pamphlet "Hindustan Socialist Republican Army" signed by Balraj, Honorary Chief, was thrown into the blazing fire.
The police locked the Council House and prevented the movement of the visitors.Sir J. Simon was also in the President's Gallery when the bomb fell. Sir G. Schuster, Sir B. Dalal,Mr Raghavendra Rao and Mr Shanker Rao were among the injured.
Along withBhagat Singh andSukhdev Thapar, Dutt was tried in the Central Assembly Bomb Case, and was sentenced in 1929 to lifeimprisonment by the Sessions Judge ofDelhi under Section 307 of theIndian Penal Code & Section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act. He was deported to theCellular Jail,Andaman and Nicobar Islands. During their trial, Dutt and Singh conducted themselves with courage and dignity. They refused to recognize the authority of the court and used the trial as a platform to propagate their revolutionary ideals. They were sentenced to life imprisonment, and while in prison, they initiated a historic hunger strike to protest against the abusive treatment of Indian political prisoners.The hunger strike lasted for 63 days, during which time Dutt and Singh were subjected to brutal treatment by the prison authorities. However, their determination did not waver, and they continued with their strike until their demands were partially met.
After his release from prison, Dutt contractedtuberculosis. He nonetheless participated in theQuit India Movement ofMahatma Gandhi and was again jailed for four years. He was lodged in Motihari Jail (in Champaran district ofBihar). AfterIndia gained independence, he married Anjali in November 1947. Dutt outlived all his comrades (exceptJaidev Kapoor) and died two hours after the midnight of 19—20 July 1965 in theAIIMS hospital inDelhi after a long illness. He was cremated inHussainiwala nearFirozepur inPunjab where the bodies of his comradesBhagat Singh,Shivaram Rajguru andSukhdev Thapar were also cremated many years before. He was survived by his only daughter, Bharti Dutta Bagchi,[14] inPatna where his house was situated in the Jakkanpur area. He was one of the writers of the filmShaheed (1965). During the filming ofShaheed, once the lead actorManoj Kumar went to meetBhagat Singh's mother, as she was not well at that time and was admitted in a hospital ofChandigarh. Kumar said that he met Dutt there.[15]
The B. K. Dutt Colony inNew Delhi, located on a prime location oppositeSafdarjung Airport and adjacent to Jor Bagh is named after Dutt. It is the nearest private residential colony near to AIIMS in NDMC area.
Anil Verma wrote a book titledBatukeshwar Dutt: Bhagat Singh ke Sahyogi, which was released on the centenary of Dutt's birth. The book was published by theGovernment of India's publication service, the National Book Trust. It is the first book published on Dutt in any language.
InKi. Rajanarayanan's novelGopallapurathu makkal (1989), Dutt is anachronistically mentioned as dead on the 56th day of his hunger-strike in 1929.
Bhaswar Chatterjee played the role of Dutta in the movieThe Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002).
