Batukeshwar Dutt
Why in News?
Batukeshwar Dutt is recently in the news because India recently observed his death anniversary on 20 July 2026.
Early Life and Associations
- Birth and Roots: He was born on November 18, 1910, in the Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal.
- Formative Years: He spent much of his youth in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, graduating from P.P.N. High School.
- Revolutionary Bond: In 1924, he met Bhagat Singh in Kanpur, developing a profound, lifelong friendship.
- Ideological Groups: Guided by Chandrashekhar Azad, he joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) and the Naujawan Bharat Sabha.
- Bomb-Making Expert: Within the HSRA, Dutt received specialised training and became an expert in manufacturing local explosives.
- The Historic Action: On April 8, 1929, Dutt and Bhagat Singh hurled two low-intensity, non-lethal bombs inside the Central Legislative Assembly in New Delhi.
- The Target Context: The act was planned to protest repressive British legislation, specifically the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill.
- Famous Slogan: They scattered anti-imperialist pamphlets and popularized the iconic slogan, "Inquilab Zindabad!" (Long Live the Revolution!)
- Core Philosophy: Their distributed leaflets contained the famous line: "If the deaf are to hear, the sound has to be very loud."
- Voluntary Arrest: Intent on not harming anyone, they threw the bombs into empty spaces and willingly courted arrest to use British courtrooms as a propaganda platform.
- Life Sentence: While Bhagat Singh was later executed for a separate murder case, Dutt was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 1929.
- Cellular Jail Hardships: He was deported to the notorious Cellular Jail (Kala Pani) in the Andaman Islands, enduring severe torture and forced labour.
- Historic Hunger Strikes: Alongside Bhagat Singh, Dutt initiated a massive hunger strike in prison to protest the abusive treatment of Indian political prisoners.
- Prison Reforms: Their strike lasted for weeks, forcing the British administration to improve dietary, reading, and living standards for Indian inmates.
- Quit India Movement: After being released in 1938 due to a severe bout of tuberculosis, he quickly joined Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India Movement in 1942.
- Final Incarceration: The British government arrested him again, keeping him in Motihari Jail (Bihar) until 1945.
- Post-Independence Hardships: Following India's independence in 1947, Dutt lived a quiet life in Patna, Bihar, but tragically faced severe financial penury and public neglect.
- Demise: He developed bone cancer and passed away at AIIMS Delhi on July 20, 1965.
- Last Wish: Per his final request, he was cremated at Hussainiwala (Firozpur, Punjab), right next to his executed comrades Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev.
