Sushil Dasgupta

Sushil Dasgupta
সুশীল দাশগুপ্ত
Statue of Sushil Kumar Dasgupta
Born	10 July 1906 Barisal, Bengal, British India
Died	11 September 1947 (aged 41) Cellular Jail, Bengal, Independent India
Cause of death	killed in riot
Alma mater	Ripon College
Known for	A convicted prisoner in Cellular Jail & participation in peace and unity movements among Hindus & muslims.
Children	Anup Dasgupta (son)
Father	Mohini Mohan Dasgupta

Sushil Kumar Dasgupta (Bengali: সুশীল কুমার দাশগুপ্ত) (10 July 1906 – 11 September 1947) was an Indian revolutionary and member of the Jugantar party. He was involved in the 1929 Puthia mail van robbery, arrested, and later imprisoned in the Cellular Jail, where he endured brutal torture and led hunger strikes protesting inhumane conditions. Following national outcry, he was released in 1943. During the 1946 communal riots, he worked to restore peace in Bengal, responding to Gandhiji's call. Just weeks after India’s independence, on 11 September 1947, Sushil was killed by a mob during communal violence in Kolkata, becoming a martyr in both freedom struggle and peace efforts.

Early life & education

Sushil Kumar Dasgupta was born on 10 July 1906 in Barisal District, in the Bengal Presidency of British India(now in Bangladesh). His father, Mohini Mohan Dasgupta, was a resident of the Rangpur.

During his student years, Dasgupta became involved in the growing revolutionary movement in North Bengal. He emerged as a key figure within a newly formed revolutionary group in the area, eventually serving as its chief organiser and leader.

After completing his Intermediate of Arts (I.A.) from Ripon College in Kolkata, Dasgupta continued his education at Rangpur College. It was during this period that he played a pivotal role in establishing a local branch of the Jugantar party, a prominent revolutionary organisation engaged in anti-colonial activities.

Rangpur had earlier been notable in the revolutionary history of Bengal, as it was also the hometown of Prafulla Chaki, one of the first martyrs of the Indian freedom movement and an early associate of Barindra Kumar Ghosh in the revolutionary movement for Indian independence.

Revolutionary activities and imprisonment

Sushil Kumar Dasgupta became an active member of the Jugantar party, a prominent revolutionary organisation operating during the Indian independence movement. Known for his courage and daring nature from an early age, he quickly attracted the attention of senior revolutionaries and was entrusted with high-risk tasks.

The Puthia Mail Robbery (1929)

To secure funds for procuring arms, Dasgupta and his associates planned the looting of government funds being transported via mail. On 11 September 1929, Dasgupta, along with Dharni Kanta Biswas and Rakhal Das, executed a robbery on a passenger bus carrying mail from Natore to Rajshahi. Disguised as passengers, they boarded the bus and, after staging a distraction near Puthia, took control of the vehicle by brandishing knives and weapons.

After forcing passengers to disembark, one member of the group smashed the bus’s headlight and punctured a tire. When the manager resisted, Dasgupta allegedly fired at him. Dharani Kanta seized the mailbag, and the group attempted to flee, firing shots to discourage pursuit. During the escape, Dasgupta was temporarily grappled by a passenger but managed to free himself. However, while running across a nearby field, he fell, injured his leg, and was captured by the police.

Trial and Sentencing

Following their arrest, the trio was brought before a special tribunal consisting of J. M. Pringle, Jatindra Chandra Lahiri, and Khan Bahadur Eman Uddin. Dasgupta was sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment, while Dharani Kanta Biswas and Rakhal Das received seven-year sentences. On appeal, Justices Charu Chandra Ghosh and Satyendra Chandra Mitra upheld the convictions of Dasgupta and Dharani Kanta but overturned the sentence of Rakhal Das, leading to his acquittal. Following the verdict, Dasgupta was imprisoned in Midnapore Central Jail.

Escape and deportation

While serving his sentence at Midnapore Central Jail, Sushil Kumar Dasgupta reportedly endured harsh conditions. Unable to bear the alleged atrocities faced by political prisoners, he planned an escape alongside fellow revolutionaries Dinesh Chandra Majumdar—known for his role in the Dalhousie Square bombing targeting Charles Tegart—and Sachin Kar Gupta, an accused in the Mechua bazar bomb case.

The escape was made possible with the covert support of sympathetic prison staff, including cooks, sweepers, and postmen. One cook smuggled them a large metal ladle, which they bent into a hook. They then tied together knotted strips of cloth to create a makeshift rope. Using the bent ladle as a grappling device, the trio scaled the prison wall and escaped.

The fugitives remained underground for approximately seven months. During this period, despite being on the run, Dasgupta is reported to have continued organising revolutionary activities. Eventually, he was apprehended by colonial police in Kolkata.

Following his re-arrest, Dasgupta was deported to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands. His associate Sachin Kar Gupta was first transferred to Mandalay Jail in Burma and later also sent to the Cellular Jail.

Imprisonment in Cellular jail

After his re-arrest, Sushil Kumar Dasgupta was deported to the infamous Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands, a colonial prison constructed to isolate and punish political prisoners. The prison featured 693 solitary cells, each measuring about 4.5 by 2.7 meters, with only one high window for ventilation. The layout was specifically designed to prevent any communication between inmates.

From left to right: Andaman Cellular Jail.

Brutal Treatment and Forced Labour

Prisoners endured severe physical and psychological abuse. Dasgupta, like others, was assigned to hard labour—husking coconuts under the scorching sun and producing ropes from coir, often resulting in bleeding hands. Requests for water were often met with flogging. Inmates were also forced to turn oil mills by hand, a task traditionally assigned to oxen. Many fainted from overexertion without receiving any relief.

Poor Nutrition and Sanitation

Sanitary conditions were appalling. Drinking water was insufficient, and food consisted of rice mixed with husk and sometimes boiled grass. Prisoners had no access to toilets beyond a single clay pot in each cell. The coarse, rope-made uniforms caused painful abrasions, particularly on previously lashed skin.

Superintendent David Barry’s Regime

The jail superintendent, David Barry, was notorious for his authoritarian methods. Known for introducing himself to prisoners by declaring, “When you are here, I am your God,” he oversaw a regime marked by cruelty. Notably, when revolutionary Ullaskar Dutta resisted mistreatment, he was whipped, bound, and was isolated, resulting in a mental breakdown.

From left to right: Cellular jail front gate, Prisoners costume and Cellular Jail photos.

The 1933 Hunger Strike

In January 1933, Dasgupta joined nine other prisoners in launching a hunger strike to protest the inhumane conditions inside the Cellular Jail. The demands included access to clean drinking water, adequate food, and basic sanitation. The movement quickly gained momentum, with more inmates joining in solidarity.

During the strike, the prison authorities attempted to break the protest by offering milk to the hunger strikers as a conciliatory measure. Dasgupta, confined in a cell adjacent to that of Dr. Narayan Roy, a senior revolutionary, reportedly asked him, “What should we do, dada?” Dr. Roy responded cryptically, “Didn’t you play football? Kick it” The message, interpreted as a cue to reject the milk, spread from cell to cell. Moments later, the jail corridor was awash with spilled milk—none of the prisoners had touched it.

The prison administration retaliated by forcibly feeding the strikers through nasogastric tubes. However, the prisoners resisted swallowing, leading to fatal complications. Mahavir Singh, Mohit Moitra, and Mohan Kishore Namadas died as a result of fluid aspiration into the lungs. Despite these tragic deaths, the strike persisted for over 40 days and ultimately compelled the authorities to introduce limited improvements to prison conditions.

Names of Prisoners of Cellular Jail, Sushil Dasgupta's name can be found in no.322.

The 1937 hunger strike and final closure

In 1937, another hunger strike was launched—this time lasting 36 days—with the central demand being the repatriation of the prisoners to the Indian mainland. The revolutionaries argued that they wished to participate in the concluding years of the independence movement on Indian soil. Once again, the colonial administration capitulated. Between September 1937 and January 1938, the remaining political prisoners, including Sushil Kumar Dasgupta, were transferred back to the mainland. This marked the effective closure of the Cellular Jail as a penal colony for political detainees.

From left to right: Cellular jail front gate, and Cellular Jail photos.

After release

Return to the mainland and renewed arrests

Following the closure of the Cellular Jail, Sushil Dasgupta and several other political prisoners were brought back to the Indian mainland in 1937. Though released, Dasgupta remained under colonial surveillance and was arrested multiple times in the years that followed.

During the Quit India Movement of 1942, launched under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, Dasgupta played an active role in mobilizing public participation. As the British crackdown intensified, he was arrested once again and spent approximately two and a half years in detention.

Constructive political engagement

After his release in 1945, coinciding with the freedom of many national leaders, Dasgupta turned to constructive work. Alongside Smritish Bannerjee, he contributed to organizing a national exhibition, reflecting his commitment to the nation-building efforts of the time.

Role in Post-Partition Peace Efforts

With the transfer of power on August 15, 1947, and the accompanying communal tensions and violence, particularly in Bengal and Punjab, Dasgupta became deeply involved in promoting communal harmony. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's peace missions, he worked in Beliaghata, a colony in Bengal affected by unrest, to foster unity and calm.

Gandhi’s efforts—including hunger strikes and direct engagement with conflicting communities—helped stabilize Bengal, where local efforts complemented his mission. Dasgupta joined the peace brigade alongside leaders like Smritish Bannerjee and Bireshwar Ghosh, participating in peace processions to prevent communal flare-ups.

Martyrdom

On September 3, 1947, while participating in a peace march near the Park Circus–Lower Circular Road intersection in Kolkata, Dasgupta and his fellow peace workers were attacked by unknown assailants. All three were seriously injured and rushed to Sambhu Nath Pandit Hospital.

Despite medical efforts, Sushil Dasgupta succumbed to his injuries on September 11, 1947 (25 Bhadra). His death marked the tragic end of a lifelong commitment to national service. On the following day, September 12, his body was taken in a massive procession to Keoratola crematorium, where he was cremated with full honours.

From left to right: Bust of Sushil Dasgupta at Park Circus Crossing, Kolkata.

Legacy & recollections

A Son’s Remembrance

Reflecting on his father's years in the notorious Cellular Jail, Anup Dasgupta—son of revolutionary Sushil Dasgupta—describes the experience as “being transported for life to the valley of death.” He recalls that during British rule, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were considered alien territory, a place designed to mentally and physically break political prisoners. “Transportation of political prisoners to Andaman was conceived as if they were being sent for slow poisoning at that notorious island,” he remarks.

The prison routine was relentless. Sushil, like others, was made to pound dry coconut husks into fibre with wooden hammers—described by fellow inmate Barindra Kumar Ghosh as a state of “suspense between life and death.” Anup recalls his father was expected to produce over two pounds of fibre daily. In another task, prisoners turned large oil presses by hand to extract coconut oil—work so exhausting it caused many to collapse or go mad.

Anup recounts the case of Ullaskar Dutta, who resisted the task, saying, “this much of the quota is not done by a bull.” He was beaten, shackled, and permanently lost his sanity. Others, like Indu Bhusan Roy, were driven to suicide.

Prisoners endured solitary confinement, chained near two small clay pots—for water and sanitation. Meals were sparse and often inedible, leading Sushil and others to stage hunger strikes between 1932 and 1937. On 3 January 1933, he joined seven others to demand better food and hygiene. A second, 45-day strike began on 12 May 1933. In retaliation, the British began force-feeding prisoners through nasal tubes—a method that killed Mahavir Singh (revolutionary), Mohan Kishore Namadas, and Mohit Moitra after milk entered their lungs. “Their bodies were thrown in the sea with stones weighing down the bags,” Anup says.

The public outcry eventually reached Gandhi and Tagore. In 1937, an agreement with Lord Linlithgow led to prisoner repatriation. Sushil returned to West Bengal in January 1938 and was released in 1943.

From left to right:replica of the punishments faced in Cellular Jail

After independence, Sushil led peace marches during the Calcutta riots. On 11 September 1947, he was fatally stabbed while leading a procession at Park Circus. Anup, then just three, remembers the coffin surrounded by white flowers outside their home on Dixon Lane, now renamed “Martyr Sushil Dasgupta Street.” Leaders from across political groups came in mourning to pay tribute.

Memorialization

Today, Anup Dasgupta serves as the Working President of the Ex-Andaman Political Prisoner’s Fraternity Circle, an organization composed of descendants and widows of former prisoners. This group has played a key role in transforming the Cellular Jail into a National Memorial, preserving its history for future generations.

As Anup emphasises, India’s freedom story remains incomplete without understanding the role of the Cellular Jail, where untold hardships forged the spirit of countless revolutionaries. Sushil Dasgupta’s legacy is remembered not only as a freedom fighter and martyr but also as a symbol of unwavering resilience against colonial repression.

A symbol of unity and sacrifice

Sushil Dasgupta’s sacrifice was mourned by people across political and communal lines. He remains a symbol of interfaith harmony and resistance to communal violence. His dedication to Gandhian ideals in the aftermath of independence underscored his lifelong devotion to peace and justice.

The historical unity of Hindus and Muslims in Bengal, once championed by leaders like Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, had been undermined by communal tensions. However, the ultimate sacrifices of Sushil Dasgupta, Smritish Bannerjee are remembered as a moral appeal for restoring that harmony—akin to the legendary sacrifice of Dadhichi in Indian mythology.

See also

• Sachin Kar Gupta
• Dinesh Chandra Majumdar
• Smritish Bannerjee
• Mahavir Singh
• Mohit Moitra
• Mohan Kishore Namadas
• Indu Bhusan Roy
• Dr. Narayan Roy

Bibliography

• 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

• Chatterjee, J.C. Indian Revolutionaries in Conference.
• Gupta, Manmathnath (1972). History of the Indian Revolutionary Movement. Somaiya Publications PVT LTD, Bombay.
• Heehs, Peter. India's Freedom Struggle: A Short History (1857–1947).
• Nath, Shaileshwar. Terrorism in India.
• Vajpeyi, J.N. (1974). The Extremist Movement in India. Chugh Publications, India.