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Chittaranjan Mukherjee

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Chittaranjan Mukherjee
চিত্তরঞ্জন মুখার্জি
Martyr Chittaranjan Mukherjee
Born1919
Bengal, British India
Died27 September 1943
Madras Central Prison, Madras Presidency, British India
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Known forMutiny attempt at Cochin in the beginning of Royal Indian Navy mutiny

Chittaranjan Mukherjee (Bengali: চিত্তরঞ্জন মুখার্জি Chittaranjan Mukherjee) (1919 – 27 September 1943) was an Indian revolutionary and member of the Indian Coastal Defence’s 4th Heavy Battery. Born in Bengal, he was inspired during his college years in Kolkata by the rising nationalist fervour, especially during the Quit India Movement of 1942. Influenced by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Mukherjee joined a failed uprising against British rule in Cochin on 18 April 1943. Captured and tried in Bangalore, he was executed by hanging on 27 September 1943 along with eight comrades. His final cry of “Vande Mataram” symbolized his unwavering dedication to India’s freedom struggle.[1][2][3][4][5]

Early life and education

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Chittaranjan was born in 1919 in Bengal. After completing his matriculation, he moved to Kolkata to pursue higher education. During his college years, he came into contact with a circle of politically active students, which significantly influenced his ideological development. This engagement with nationalist youth groups motivated him to participate in the Indian independence movement.[6]

Involvement in the freedom movement

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The Quit India Movement of 1942, spearheaded by leaders such as Ram Manohar Lohia and Subhas Chandra Bose, had a profound impact on Chittaranjan. Inspired by their calls for immediate independence, he became increasingly involved in anti-colonial activities.[7][8][9]

In pursuit of financial stability and possibly to contribute to the nationalist cause from within the system, Mukherjee joined the Indian Coastal Defence's 4th Heavy Battery as a gunner. His tenure in the military provided him with strategic knowledge and skills, which he later sought to apply in revolutionary efforts.[10][11][12]

On 18 April 1943, Chittaranjan was involved in an attempted insurrection in Cochin (then part of the Madras Presidency), alongside a group of fellow nationalists. The operation was ultimately unsuccessful, reportedly due to internal betrayal, and led to the arrest of Chittaranjan and other participants.[13][14]

Court-martial and execution

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In early 1943, British military intelligence reported subversive activity within a segment of the 4th Madras Coastal Defence Battery, to which Chittaranjan belonged. According to intelligence assessments, certain personnel were suspected of plotting sabotage, promoting desertion, and inciting tensions within military barracks. The group, composed primarily of young Bengali soldiers, was believed to be motivated by nationalist aspirations and resistance to British Raj.[15][16]

On 18 April 1943, military police arrested approximately a dozen members of the unit on charges of sedition, conspiracy to obstruct war efforts, and anti-government activity. Those detained were court-martialed at St. Andrew's Church, Bengaluru, in sessions held on 6 July and 5 August 1943.[17][18]

Nine of the accused soldiers were sentenced to death. They included:

  1. Mankumar Basu Thakur (21)
  2. Nanda Kumar Dey (25)
  3. Durgadas Ray Chaudhuri (25)
  4. Niranjan Barua (23)
  5. Chittaranjan Mukherjee (24)
  6. Fanibhusan Chakraborty (23)
  7. Sunil Mukhopadhyay (22)
  8. Kalipada Aich (23)
  9. Nirendra Mohan Mukhopadhyay (21)

Two additional accused were sentenced to transportation for life, and one was awarded seven years’ rigorous imprisonment.

Initially, the executions were scheduled to be carried out in Mysore. However, the Mysore Government raised objections to the executions being conducted on its territory, as a British military tribunal had conducted the trial. Subsequently, the condemned prisoners were transferred to Madras Central Prison.[19][20]

On 27 September 1943, the death sentences were carried out. Eyewitness accounts noted that the prisoners-maintained resolve and unity until the end, reportedly chanting patriotic slogans and facing the gallows in pairs.[21]

Attempts at Intervention and Execution

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Independent efforts were made by the families of the accused. The uncle of Chittaranjan, who was a lawyer, traveled to Bangalore to advocate on behalf of the prisoners but was reportedly denied access.[22][23][24] It was also claimed that Chittaranjan's mother offered a sum of ₹3 lakh in an attempt to secure top legal representation not only for her son but also for the other accused soldiers. Despite these efforts, the trial concluded largely out of public view, with the final verdict delivered on 5 August 1943.[25][26]

Reaction in Mysore Central Jail

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Following sentencing, the condemned prisoners were transferred from Bangalore to Mysore Central Jail. Eyewitnesses described that the new arrivals wore black attire and handkerchiefs around their necks—believed by some political prisoners to symbolically represent the noose. According to Srikumaran, then editor of the Bangalore Congress Central Committee newsletter, this gesture caused concern among other inmates, many of whom submitted petitions to the Mysore government, objecting to the executions being carried out in a princely state. As a result of the agitation, the prisoners were transferred under cover of night to Madras.[27][28][29]

Execution at Madras Fort

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After a delay of nearly one month and twenty-four days following the court-martial verdict, the executions were carried out on 27 September 1943 at Madras Central Prison. Eyewitness accounts suggest that the condemned soldiers remained composed during their final moments. They reportedly chanted patriotic slogans such as "Vande Mataram" and sang the Indian National Anthem as they proceeded to the gallows.[30][31][32][33]

Legacy

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The actions of Chittaranjan Mukherjee, Mankumar Basu Thakur, Sunil Mukhopadhyay and other fellow soldiers in the 4th Madras Coastal Defence Battery represent a lesser known but notable episode of resistance within the British Indian Army during World War II. Known informally as the 1943 Cochin mutiny, the movement involved a group of young Bengali soldiers inspired by nationalist leaders like Subhas Chandra Bose. Their objective was to disrupt British military operations and contribute to India’s freedom struggle from within the armed forces.[34][35][36][37]

Although their plans were foiled and the group was captured and court-martialed, their actions reflected growing disillusionment among Indian soldiers serving under British command. The execution of nine of the accused, including Chittaranjan, on 27 September 1943, served as a stark example of the extreme sacrifices made by revolutionaries outside mainstream political frameworks.[38][39][40]

While not widely commemorated in national narratives, the episode has been remembered in regional histories, particularly in Bengal, and among military historians. The incident contributed to a broader understanding of how anti-colonial sentiment had penetrated even the ranks of the colonial military, anticipating later events like the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of 1946. Chittaranjan and his comrades are remembered as symbols of patriotism and youthful defiance during India’s final phase of the struggle for independence.[41][42]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ghosh, Kali Charan. The Roll of Honour.
  2. ^ Ghosh, Kali Charan (1960). The Roll of Honour. Calcutta: Vidya Bharati.
  3. ^ "Malkhanagar". malkhanagar.com.
  4. ^ Bose, Netaji Subhas (23 July 2023). "Mankumar Basu Thakur - The first episode of revolt in British Indian Army". netajisubhasbose.
  5. ^ "একই দিনে ফাঁসি হয়েছিল নয়জন বাঙালি বিপ্লবীর, আমরা কি মনে রেখেছি তাদের আত্মত্যাগ ?". 19 September 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  6. ^ Ray, Motilal (12 June 1957). "Amar Dekha Biplob O Biplobi আমার দেখা বিপ্লব ও বিপ্লবী". Kolkata: Radharaman Chowdhury – via Internet Archive.
  7. ^ https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/district-reopsitory-detail.htm?27055
  8. ^ "ভারতীয় নৌবিদ্রোহের শহীদ মানকুমার বসু ঠাকুর". www.newsg24.com. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  9. ^ "বিস্মৃতি সরিয়ে একনজরে দেখা অগ্নিযুগের বাঙালি শহিদদের". Literacy Paradise. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Jagaran জাগরণ". Satyendrabnath Sur, Chandannagar. 1938.
  11. ^ Rakshit, Bhupendrakishor (1960). Bharater Sashastra-biplab.
  12. ^ "Amar Dekha Biplob O Biplobi". 1957.
  13. ^ "Jug-Barta যুগবার্তা". Prabartak Publishing House, Chandannagar. 1920.
  14. ^ Ray, Motilal (12 June 1880). "Bijaychandi Gitabhinay বিজয় চন্ডী গীতাভিনয়" – via Internet Archive.
  15. ^ "Amar Dekha Biplob O Biplobi আমার দেখা বিপ্লব ও বিপ্লবী". Radharaman Chowdhury, Kolkata. 1957.
  16. ^ Bose, Subhas Chandra. Subhas-rachanavali Vol. 2.
  17. ^ "Dli.scoerat.13316amisubhashbalchhi".
  18. ^ "Abishmaraniya Vol. 2". 1966.
  19. ^ "Arabinda-prasanga". 1923.
  20. ^ Dasgupta, Sri Hemendranath (1946). Bharater Biplab Kahini Vol. 1.
  21. ^ "Mrityunjayee Kanailal". 1945.
  22. ^ "Gita Katha" (1st ed.). 1950.
  23. ^ "The Story of Indian Revolution". Prajnananda Jana Seva Sangha, Calcutta. 1972.
  24. ^ Sarkar, Tanika (2014). Rebels, wives, saints : Designing selves and nations in colonial times. Permanent Black. ISBN 978-81-7824-396-2.
  25. ^ "Jiban Brittanta". 1927.
  26. ^ "The Bengal Revolutionaries and Freedom Movement". 1909.
  27. ^ Kanungo, Hemchandra (1929). Banglay Biplab Prachesta (in unsupported language) (1st ed.).
  28. ^ "Bigyane Biplab". 1961.
  29. ^ "Biplab Pathe Spain". 1931.
  30. ^ "Biplabi Kanailal" (1st ed.). 1946.
  31. ^ Majumdar, Satyendranarayan (1971). Aamar Biplab-jigyasa Parbo.1 (1927-1985).
  32. ^ "Revolutionaries of Bengal". 1923.
  33. ^ The bomb in Bengal : The rise of revolutionary terrorism in India, 1900-1910. 1993. ISBN 978-0-19-563350-4.
  34. ^ "Ichapur Barta Edited by Biplab Ghosh". 22 October 2017.
  35. ^ "Pharasi Biplab". 1955.
  36. ^ Weinberg, Gerhard L. (2011), A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II, Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2nd Edition, p. xx, ISBN 978-0-521-61826-7
  37. ^ Kumaraswamy, P. R. (2010), Squaring the Circle: Mahatma Gandhi and the Jewish National Home, Digital version, Routledge, p. 153, ISBN 9781000097856
  38. ^ Dey, Biswanath Ed (1959). Subhas Smriti.
  39. ^ N.A (1960). Crossroads Being the Works of Subhas Chandra Bose 1938-1940. Kolkata: S. N. Guha.
  40. ^ Anurupa Debi (1933). Biplabi.
  41. ^ Bose, Subhas Chandra (1952). The Indian Struggle (1935–1942). Calcutta: M. L. Chakravarti.
  42. ^ Bose, Subhas Chandra (1959). Fundamental Questions of Indian Revolution. Kolkata: Netaji Research Bureau.

Bibliography

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  • Hemendranath Dasgupta, Bharater Biplab Kahini, II & III, Calcutta, 1948;
  • Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, History of the Freedom Movement in India, III, Calcutta 1963;
  • Ganganarayan Chandra, Abismaraniya, Calcutta, 1966
  • Shailesh Dey, Ami Subhas Bolchi.
  • Kalicharan Ghosh, Roll of Honour, Calcutta, 1960.

Further reading

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