Bagha Jatin

Today is the death Anniversary of Bagha Jatin, or Jatindranath Mukherjee, an Indian freedom fighter who fought against the British and died young at the age of 36. 

Born in Nadia district in present day Bengal, he was only 5 when his father died, followed by his mother at 9. He was brought up by his elder sister. From teenage he dabbled in fighting for freedom against the occupying British who ruled India with an iron hand. But Jatin possesed an iron hand using which he killed a tiger as he was scouring the forests to go underground and use as launch pad for his anti government activities. He used a small knife to kill the tiger but was grievously injured in the process. It took him days to recover from the poison of the tiger's claws which caused him deep, gruesome wounds. After this incident he was christened by locals as "Bagha" (the tiger killer) Jatin. 

Soon Bagha Jatin would shift his revolutionary activities to Balasore, a small town in Odisha close to Bengal border. He, along with his close friends Chittapriya, Manoranjan and few more formed a merry band whose fiery spirit led to several skirmishes with the British using arms and ammunition. In order to run their organization they needed money and hence looted rich the Zamindars (feudal lords) of the time, most of whom sided with the British. After looking, Bagha Jatin gang would leave a note saying that they are taking the loot to fight for freedom and will return the money with interest after independence. 

But such a thing never happened. During the World War I, Bagha and his associates established contact with German who was seen as enemy's enemy is a friend as they were fighting the war with British. The Germans were ready to assist Bagha Jatin's gang with arms and ammunitions. But the mission failed due to couple of reasons. First of all, the English ruled India with the support of the majority of Indians and many of whom were eager to please and cooperate with their occupiers for a price or privilege. Secondly, British had created a strong network of spies and informants and like a ripe fart could smell any mutiny or revolutionary activities from miles. 

Based on the information they received the British Military Police closed in on Bagha Jatin and his gang inside the deep forests surrounding Budhabalanga River near Balasore. Though thorougly outnumbered, outgunned and outmaneuvered, Bagha and his associates fought bravely for few hours before most of them were gunned down or captured. 

Bagha Jatin was seriously injured in the ensuing gun fight. He was taken to a local hospital and treated by a British doctor. When he came to his senses he refused to get treated by an Englishman and threw away his bandages. He continued to bleed and died this day September 10, 1915, exactly 108 years ago. Long live martyr Bagha Jatin. My tribute to one our many unsung heroes.