Overdue Honour

The Cellular Jail remains a haunting reminder of India’s struggle for independence and this colonial-era prison symbolizes the resilience and sacrifice of freedom fighters who endured unimaginable hardships and torture for the liberation of their motherland from the yoke of British rule. Hence due honour must be accorded to those revolutionaries who spent years inside the dark chambers of this isolated prison

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Of late much is happening with respect to the Cellular Jail or “Kala Pani” which once became synonymous with harsh and inhuman treatment, hard labour, torture and vile conditions endured by freedom fighters. The Cellular Jail at the Andamans, 1,200 km from the mainland, became a habitat of silent suffering during the colonial period. The British used it to exile those revolutionaries and freedom fighters they considered most dangerous for their regime.

Despite extreme suffering, the prisoners’ resilience and unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom became stuff for legend that inspired generations to come. In essence, the Jail represents the ultimate test of endurance and sacrifice for India’s independence, making it a deeply significant historical place. For quite some time, demands have been voiced both inside the Parliament and outside to give due honour and recognition to Bengali revolutionaries like Ullaskar Dutta, Hemchandra Das Kanungo and Barin Ghosh who were sent there for their anti-British activities. Keeping up the momentum, the Ullaskar Dutta Academy, a research group based in Kolkata, raised its voice for this longstanding demand, seeking immediate steps to name the cells at the Jail after the twelve revolutionaries of undivided Bengal who spent a lot of time there under harrowing circumstances.

These revolutionaries were the first batch of political prisoners who were deported to the notorious prison following the Alipore Bomb Conspiracy trial. It is to be noted that out of approximately 585 revolutionaries sent to the Cellular Jail between 1909 and 1938, close to 400 were from undivided Bengal. Previously, honour in the form of dedicated cells was given to two Indian bravehearts, namely Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Sachindranath Sanyal, but neither of them hailed from Bengal.