SUHASINI GANGULY

Born on 03 February 1909 to Abinashchandra Ganguly and Sarala Sundara Devi in the Khulna District of the then undivided Bengal, Suhasini Ganguly was a revolutionary who dedicated her entire life to her motherland’s freedom.

Ganguly completed her matriculation at the Dhaka Eden School in the year 1924. Besides pursuing a diploma, Ganguly also began her professional career. She relocated to Calcutta to take up a teaching job at a special school for the deaf and dumb. Sources say that during her time in Calcutta, Suhasini Ganguly got acquainted with Pritilata Waddedar and Kamala Das Gupta – two renowned revolutionaries who actively encouraged her to become a part of the Jugantar revolutionary group. Soon after joining the Jugantar group, Suhasini also devoted her time to the Chattri Sangha, a semi-revolutionary student group, by helping out with the recruitment and training of new members.

Her strong bond with the Chattri Sangha and the Jugantar group connected her with like-minded individuals who possessed similar socio-political beliefs that were fuelled by an unwavering desire for freedom. In a bid to thwart the day-to-day operations of underground revolutionary groups, the British authorities conducted regular surveillance, which made it very difficult for Ganguly to operate out of Calcutta, and she came under the tight watch of the Britishers. With the British baying for the blood of these revolutionaries, many members of the Jugantar party were forced to go into hiding. It was around the period between 1928 to 1930, the imminent arrest of Suhasini Ganguly prompted her to relocate to Chandannagore, a territory that came under French control at that time.

After the Chittagong Armoury Raid on 18 April 1930, in which Indian independence revolutionaries attempted to raid the armoury of the police and auxiliary forces, the senior leadership of the Chattri Sangha instructed 21-year-old Ganguly to provide shelter to the revolutionaries who were on the run. With the assistance of Shashadhar Acharya, a fellow member of the Jugantar party and under the pretence of being a married couple, they opened their doors to those revolutionaries who were being closely monitored by the British. In September that year, Ganguly’s home in Chandannagore was raided by a team of British police officials who were led by Charles Tegart. Tegart was known for his brutality as he would subject prisoners to inhumane torture. On this occasion, the raid led to the unfortunate death of a fellow Jugantar member– Jiban Ghoshal. Subsequently, Ganguly, Shashadhar Acharya, and Ganesh Ghosh were arrested, although Ganguly was released shortly after her arrest.

Using the provisions of the newly enacted Bengal Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1925, the British police arrested Ganguly in 1932, lodging her at the Hijli Detention Camp near Kharagpur, where she remained for six years. Interestingly, today the IIT Kharagpur campus is at the site of this camp.

Following her release from Hijli, Ganguly continued to fight for the nation’s freedom. She officially established ties with the Communist Party of India and began participating in causes associated with the group. Between 1942 and 1945 Ganguly was imprisoned again for sheltering Hemant Tarafdar, a revolutionary who actively participated in the 1942 Quit India Movement. Post-independence, in the early 1950s, Ganguly was arrested under the newly enacted West Bengal Security Act of 1950 for the activities she undertook under the Communist Party’s directions.

Suhasini Ganguly died in an unfortunate road accident on 23 March 1965. Suhasini Ganguly Sarani, Patuapara, Bhowanipore, a locality in Kolkata City, is a reminder of the struggles of this unsung hero.