Rajendra Nath Lahiri (29 June 1901 — 17 December 1927), known simply as Rajendra Lahiri, was an Indian

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

, who was a mastermind behind the

Kakori conspiracy The Kakori Train robbery (''prapt'' of Kakori Conspiracy) was a train robbery that took place at Kakori, a village near Lucknow, on 9 August 1925, during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Raj. It was organised by Hindustan R ...

and Dakshineshwar bombing. He was active member of

Hindustan Republican Association Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), previously known as the Hindustan Republican Army and Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), was an Indian revolutionary organisation founded by Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Sachindra ...

aimed at ousting the British from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Early life

Rajendra Lahiri was born on 29 June 1901 in the village of Lahiri Mohanpur in a

brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

family of

Pabna District Pabna District ( bn, পাবনা জেলা) is a district in central Bangladesh. It is an economically important district in Bangladesh. Its administrative capital is the eponymous Pabna town. History Archeologist Cunningham conjectured ...

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia an ...

(now in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...

). His father,

Kshitish Mohan Lahiri Kshitish Mohan Lahiri (also known as Kshiti Mohan Lahiri) was the Zamindar of Mohanpur in District Pabna (now in Sirajganj District, Bangladesh). His family was known for nationalist activities against the British rule in India. His son Rajendra ...

, owned a large estate there.

Dakshineswar bomb incident

Lahiri took part in the

Dakshineswar Dakshineswar is a locality in the North 24 Parganas under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority and is very close to Kolkata. This place is historically famous for Dakshineswar Kali Temple, locally known as Maa Bhabat ...

bombing incident and absconded. He went to

Banaras Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tr ...

and started studying. He was a M.A. student in Department of History, Banaras Hindu University when the revolutionary activities started in United Provinces (now

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

). He joined the

along with some of his Bengali friends.

Kakori conspiracy

He was Mastermind behind the

Kakori train robbery The Kakori Train robbery (''prapt'' of Kakori Conspiracy) was a train robbery that took place at Kakori, a village near Lucknow, on 9 August 1925, during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Raj. It was organised by Hindustan R ...

on 8 August 1925. He was arrested and tried in the previous bomb case of Dakshineswar in Bengal and sent to jail for ten years rigorous imprisonment. When the legal proceedings started in

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...

for the train robbery, he was also included in the

case and tried with several other revolutionaries.

Death

He was found guilty after a long trial and was hanged in the

Gonda district Gonda district (Hindi: गोण्डा/गोंडा, Urdu: گونڈہ) is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. The city of Gonda is the district headquarters, and also the administrative centre for the Devipatan Division. The t ...

jail on 17 December 1927, two days before the scheduled date, along with Thakur Roshan Singh, Ashfaq Ullah and Ram Prasad Bismil.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lahiri, Rajendra 1900s births 1927 deaths Indian revolutionaries Executed Indian people 20th-century executions by British India People from Pabna District 20th-century Bengalis People executed by British India by hanging Executed revolutionaries Hindustan Socialist Republican Association Banaras Hindu University alumni