Basanta Kumar Biswas

Basanta Kumar Biswas (6 February 1895, Poragachha, Nadia District – 1915) was a pro-independence activist involved in theJugantar group who, in December 1912, is believed to have bombed the Viceroy's Parade in what came to be known as the Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy. He was initiated into revolutionary movement by Jugantar leaders Amarendranath Chattopadhyaya and Rash Behari Bose.

Revolutionary activities

On 23 December 1912, Biswas, disguised as a woman, threw abomb at Governor General Lord Charles Hardinge in Delhi.Police arrested him on 26 February 1914 in Krishnanagar, Nadia while he was performing the last rites for his father. The trial, which came to be called the Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy Case, began on 23 May 1914in Delhi and on 5 October, Basanta was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. However The Government was eager to have the death penelty imposed so an appeal was formulated at Lahore High Court and the records held atAmbala Central Jail were tampered with to show that Biswas was two years older than he really was to input legal responsibility for his offence. The Crown won its appeal and Biswas was sentenced to be hanged.

Basanta Kumar Biswas was hanged on 11 May 1915 at Ambala Central Jail in Punjab aged twenty and became one of the youngest persons to be executed during the Indian revolutionary struggles during the 20th century. There are fourplaques to commemorate Biswas - one in front of Muragachha School, Nadia; the other next to the Rabindra Bhavanauditorium at Krishnanagar, the third at Madame Tetsu-cong-Hiochi's garden in Tokyo and the fourth one in Nadia. Rashbehari Bose embedded the third one in memory of his young disciple. [Somadatta Mondal]. The third one being unveiled by Rash Behari Bose.