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Sushil Lahiri

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Sushil Lahiri
Died1918
Uttar Pradesh, British India
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Other namesMaster ji
Alma materCalcutta University
OccupationScience teacher at Varanasi Bengali Tola Inter College
Known forparticipation in Indian independence movement

Sushil Kumar Lahiri alias Master ji (Bengali: সুশীল চন্দ্র লাহিড়ী) (Hindi: सुशील चंद्र लाहिरी) (died October 1918) was an Indian revolutionary and schoolteacher associated with the nationalist underground during the Indian independence movement. A science teacher at Bengali Tola Inter College in Varanasi, Lahiri was implicated in the Benares Conspiracy Case and later executed by British authorities for his alleged role in the assassination of Vinayak Rao Kaple, an accused defector. He is remembered for his silence under interrogation and his refusal to reveal the identity of his fellow revolutionaries, particularly Sachindra Nath Sanyal.[1][2][3]

Early Life and Background

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Little is known about Sushil Lahiri's early life, which remains obscure. He was a resident of Madanpura, Varanasi, and was a science graduate from Calcutta University. By profession, he served as a teacher at Bengali Tola Inter College in Varanasi. Despite his reserved and soft-spoken nature, Lahiri was deeply involved in revolutionary activities.[4][5]

Association with the revolutionary party

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In 1906, a group of nationally conscious youths in the Lakshmi kund area of Varanasi established the Youngmen’s Association—a semi-clandestine organisation aimed at mobilising youth for India’s liberation. The club operated in two concentric circles: an open outer circle for physical training, drills, and patriotic discussions, and a closed inner circle of vetted revolutionaries.[6][7]

The group ran ideological campaigns, including the circulation of handwritten journals advocating independence. Revolutionaries from Bengal and Punjab, including Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Jagdish Prasanna Mukherjee, Dev Narayan Mukherjee, Beni Madhav, Rajaram Akut, Haricharan Banerjee, Khemchand Jaiswal, and Vinayak Rao Kaple, maintained contact with the club. The Bengali Tola Inter College compound in Sonarpura, Varanasi often served as a secret meeting place for the inner circle.[8][9]

Bengali Tola Inter College.

Benares Conspiracy and the murder of Vinayak Rao Kaple

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Vinayak Rao Kaple, also known as Satyen or Barra Babu, was a member of the revolutionary network assigned to transport bombs to Punjab. In early 1918, Mani Lal (later an approver) and Kaple were sent from Varanasi to Lahore with materials for 18 bombs. However, Kaple was later accused by fellow revolutionaries of betrayal and defection.[10][11]

In the same year, the Prince of Wales was scheduled to visit Benares. Anticipating unrest, the British authorities, particularly the local CID under Deputy Superintendent Rai Bahadur Jitendra Nath Mukherjee, increased surveillance. Mukherjee was known for his hostility toward politically active youths and launched an extensive crackdown on the Youngmen’s Association.[12][13]

Vinayak Rao Kaple, allegedly fearing arrest, turned informer. On 9 February 1918, he was shot dead in Ghasyari Mandi, Lucknow, reportedly by Sachindra Nath Sanyal. Following this, the police framed a narrative branding the Youngmen’s Association as anti-government and held Sushil Lahiri responsible for the entire conspiracy.[14]

Arrest and Trial

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On 21 February 1918, Sushil Lahiri was arrested in Lucknow. A search of his residence led to the seizure of two revolvers and 200 live cartridges. He was initially charged under Section 20 of the Indian Arms Act. On 6 May 1918, he was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹1,000.[15][16]

Lahiri appealed the verdict to the Judicial Commissioner of Oudh on 29 May 1918, but the appeal was dismissed on 29 July.[17][18][19]

Meanwhile, the investigation into Kaple’s murder continued. Lahiri, already imprisoned, was charged under Sections 302 and 114 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 211(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code. The cartridges found at his residence were reported to match the spent cartridge recovered from the murder site. On 17 July 1918, he was committed to trial before the Sessions Court.[20][21][22]

Refusal to Testify and Sentencing

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During the trial, Lahiri refused to name any co-conspirators despite repeated offers of clemency. According to later accounts, when asked in court to identify the shooter, he reportedly declared:

"I know who shot the traitor Vinayak Rao, but I won’t tell. You can court-martial me right here if you want."

Despite his frail appearance, his resolute silence impressed both the courtroom and the press. On 11 August 1918, the Sessions Court sentenced him to death. He offered no defence during the proceedings.[23][24][25]

Execution

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Sushil Chandra Lahiri was executed in October 1918. On the morning of his execution, he is said to have bathed with Ganges water and performed Brahminical rituals. Eyewitness accounts describe him walking calmly to the gallows. His final reported words were "Vande Mataram".[26][27]

According to Ashok Kanti Chakraborty, a senior figure in the Bengali community of Varanasi and an administrator of Bengali Tola College:

“The city was in mourning the day Sushil Lahiri was hanged. According to stories passed down by elders, at the moment of his execution, Masterji’s courage soared to the seventh sky. His frail body pulsed with fervour, as if his blood had surged by a pound and a half.”

Though less publicly known than some of his contemporaries, Sushil Chandra Lahiri is remembered by sections of the Bengali and Varanasi revolutionary circles as a symbol of loyalty and self-sacrifice. His decision to accept capital punishment rather than implicate others remains a recurring theme in oral histories surrounding the Benares Conspiracy Case.[28][29][30][31]

The names of revolutionaries engraved on "Saheed Bedi" at Bengali Tola inter college. Sushil Lahiri's name can be seen at the top.

Legacy

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Lahiri's refusal to identify his associates under intense pressure has been noted in accounts of early 20th-century revolutionary nationalism. His former colleague, Sachindra Nath Sanyal, was widely believed to have carried out the assassination of Vinayak Rao Kaple, a claim Lahiri neither confirmed nor denied during trial proceedings. His stoicism and silence in court reportedly left a strong impression on observers of the time. According to local oral histories and recollections preserved by community leaders, Lahiri was widely mourned in Benares following his execution, and he is remembered as a martyr of the Indian independence movement.[32][33][34][35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Banaras Conspiracy : ब्रिटिश शासन का काला कारनामा, सुशील लाहिड़ी ने मंजूर किया फांसी चढ़ना - banaras conspiracy black deed of british rule sushil lahiri accepts hanging JagranSpecial". Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  2. ^ "क्रांतिकारियों का गुप्त ठिकाना वाराणसी का 168 साल पुराना स्कूल: आजाद, भगत, लाहिड़ी, सान्याल ने चलाई क्रांति की कार्यशाला; इतिहास ने भुला दिया". Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). 15 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  3. ^ "वाराणसी का इतिहास | भारतकोश". bharatdiscovery.org. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  4. ^ Ray, Motilal (12 June 1957). "Amar Dekha Biplob O Biplobi আমার দেখা বিপ্লব ও বিপ্লবী". Kolkata: Radharaman Chowdhury – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ "বিস্মৃতি সরিয়ে একনজরে দেখা অগ্নিযুগের বাঙালি শহিদদের". Literacy Paradise. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  6. ^ "Jug-Barta যুগবার্তা". Prabartak Publishing House, Chandannagar. 1920.
  7. ^ Ray, Motilal (12 June 1880). "Bijaychandi Gitabhinay বিজয় চন্ডী গীতাভিনয়" – via Internet Archive.
  8. ^ "Amar Dekha Biplob O Biplobi আমার দেখা বিপ্লব ও বিপ্লবী". Radharaman Chowdhury, Kolkata. 1957.
  9. ^ Bose, Subhas Chandra. Subhas-rachanavali Vol. 2.
  10. ^ "Dli.scoerat.13316amisubhashbalchhi".
  11. ^ "Abishmaraniya Vol. 2". 1966.
  12. ^ "Arabinda-prasanga". 1923.
  13. ^ Dasgupta, Sri Hemendranath (1946). Bharater Biplab Kahini Vol. 1.
  14. ^ "Mrityunjayee Kanailal". 1945.
  15. ^ "Jiban Brittanta". 1927.
  16. ^ "The Bengal Revolutionaries and Freedom Movement". 1909.
  17. ^ Dey, Biswanath Ed (1959). Subhas Smriti.
  18. ^ N.A (1960). Crossroads Being the Works of Subhas Chandra Bose 1938-1940. Kolkata: S. N. Guha.
  19. ^ Anurupa Debi (1933). Biplabi.
  20. ^ "Gita Katha" (1st ed.). 1950.
  21. ^ "The Story of Indian Revolution". Prajnananda Jana Seva Sangha, Calcutta. 1972.
  22. ^ Sarkar, Tanika (2014). Rebels, wives, saints : Designing selves and nations in colonial times. Permanent Black. ISBN 978-81-7824-396-2.
  23. ^ Kanungo, Hemchandra (1929). Banglay Biplab Prachesta (in unsupported language) (1st ed.).
  24. ^ "Bigyane Biplab". 1961.
  25. ^ "Biplab Pathe Spain". 1931.
  26. ^ Bose, Subhas Chandra (1952). The Indian Struggle (1935–1942). Calcutta: M. L. Chakravarti.
  27. ^ Bose, Subhas Chandra (1959). Fundamental Questions of Indian Revolution. Kolkata: Netaji Research Bureau.
  28. ^ "Ichapur Barta Edited by Biplab Ghosh". 22 October 2017.
  29. ^ "Pharasi Biplab". 1955.
  30. ^ 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
  31. ^ Kumaraswamy, P. R. (2010), Squaring the Circle: Mahatma Gandhi and the Jewish National Home, Digital version, Routledge, p. 153, ISBN 9781000097856
  32. ^ "Biplabi Kanailal" (1st ed.). 1946.
  33. ^ Majumdar, Satyendranarayan (1971). Aamar Biplab-jigyasa Parbo.1 (1927-1985).
  34. ^ "Revolutionaries of Bengal". 1923.
  35. ^ The bomb in Bengal : The rise of revolutionary terrorism in India, 1900-1910. 1993. ISBN 978-0-19-563350-4.

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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