Basanta Kumar Biswas (6 February 1895 – 11 May 1915) was an Indian pro-independence activist involved in the
Jugantar
Jugantar or Yugantar ( ''Jugantor''; lit. ''New Era'' or ''Transition of an Epoch'') was one of the two main secret revolutionary trends operating in Bengal for Indian independence. This association, like Anushilan Samiti, started in the g ...
group who, in December 1912, played a role in the bombing of the
Viceroy's parade in what came to be known as the
Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy
The Delhi Conspiracy case, also known as the Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy, refers to an attempt made in 1912 to assassinate the then Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge by throwing a local self-made bomb of Anushilan Samiti by Jorawar Singh Bareth and ...
.
Biswas was one of the illustrious names of the early pro-independence activists of
Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
and the entire country. He was expert in bomb making and was initiated into
revolutionary movement
A revolutionary movement (or revolutionary social movement) is a specific type of social movement dedicated to carrying out a revolution.
Criteria
Charles Tilly defines it as "a social movement advancing exclusive competing claims to control o ...
by
Jugantar
Jugantar or Yugantar ( ''Jugantor''; lit. ''New Era'' or ''Transition of an Epoch'') was one of the two main secret revolutionary trends operating in Bengal for Indian independence. This association, like Anushilan Samiti, started in the g ...
leaders
Amarendranath Chattopadhyaya and
Rash Behari Bose
Rash Behari Bose (; 25 May 1886 – 21 January 1945) was an Indian revolutionary leader and freedom fighter who fought against the British Empire. He was one of the key organisers of the Ghadar Mutiny and founded the Indian Independence Lea ...
.
Early life
Basanta Kumar Biswas was born on 6 February 1895 at ''Poragacha'' village in a
Bengali Hindu
Bengali Hindus () are adherents of Hinduism who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. They make up the majority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Assam's Barak Valley ...
aristocratic
Mahishya
Mahishya (IAST: Māhiṣya) is a Bengali Hindu traditionally agrarian caste, and formed the largest caste in undivided Bengal. Mahisyas were, and still are, an extremely diverse caste consisting of all possible classes in terms of material con ...
family of
Nadia district
Nadia () is a district in the state of West Bengal, India. It borders Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Purba Bardhaman to the west, and Murshidabad to the north.
Nadia district is highly influe ...
of present day
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
, to Motilal Biswas and Kunjabala Devi.
His ancestor (grand uncle),
Digambar Biswas had gained fame as an active leader of the
Indigo revolt
The Indigo revolt (or ''Nil bidroha''; Bengali: নীল বিদ্রোহ) was a peasant movement and subsequent uprising of indigo farmers against the indigo planters, that arose in Bengal in 1859, and continued for over a year. The vill ...
(''Nil Bidroha,1859'') against the forced cultivation of the cash crop and freedom fighter
Manmathanath Biswas was his cousin.
He started his schooling in M. I. School in nearby village of ''Madhavpur'' established by social reformer and industrialist
Gagan Chandra Biswas
Babu Gagan Chandra Biswas (1849–1936), was a Bengali industrialist, engineer and social worker. He was also involved in the political movements of Bengal, he was one of the earliest leaders of the Indian independence movement. Being among the p ...
, with his cousin Manmathnath Biswas. In 1906, Basanta was moved to
Muragacha school, where he studied upto
Entrance examination
In education, an entrance examination or admission examination is an examination that educational institutions conduct to select prospective students. It may be held at any stage of education, from primary to tertiary, even though it is typica ...
.
Under the guidance of Khirodh Chandra Ganguly,
Head teacher
A headmaster/headmistress, head teacher, head, school administrator, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management
Management (or managing ...
of Muragacha school, Basanta started his journey of freedom fight. When he was a student of this School he took active part in the Swadeshi agitation at Poragachcha and its neighbourhood. In 1907, he left his studies and took up a job in 1910 at a swadeshi cloth store at Uttarpara, but left it for touring the different places of India. He went to
Puri
Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...
, and eventually went to
Benaras
Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or 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 tradition of ...
, where he stayed at
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) is a spiritual and philanthropic organisation headquartered in Belur Math, West Bengal. The mission is named after the Indian Hindu spiritual guru and mystic Ramakrishna. The mission was founde ...
. Next year he met
Rash Behari Bose
Rash Behari Bose (; 25 May 1886 – 21 January 1945) was an Indian revolutionary leader and freedom fighter who fought against the British Empire. He was one of the key organisers of the Ghadar Mutiny and founded the Indian Independence Lea ...
in
Dehradun
Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...
and was recruited by him. Bose trained him in arms and bombs and lovingly often called him ''Bishe''.
Revolutionary activities
Basanta Kumar Biswas was a member of
Jugantar
Jugantar or Yugantar ( ''Jugantor''; lit. ''New Era'' or ''Transition of an Epoch'') was one of the two main secret revolutionary trends operating in Bengal for Indian independence. This association, like Anushilan Samiti, started in the g ...
group, known for his organisation skills and was an important intermediary between Calcutta office of Jugantar and the 'co-conspirators' in
Chandannagar
Chandannagar (), also known by its former names Chandannagore and Chandernagor (), is a city in the Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is headquarter of the Chandannagore subdivision and is a part of the area covered by Ko ...
.
After meeting Rash Behari Bose in Dehradun, he was politically indoctrinated and learnt practical trainings to carry out his mission. He was brought to Lahore by Bose in October 1912 and stayed there with his Punjabi associates. At Lahore he took the job of a compounder at a popular dispensary.
Biswas participated in the plot to throw a bomb on
Lord Hardinge, the Viceroy of India. It was carried out by him on 23 December 1912, when Lord Hardinge was passing through Chandni Chowk, Delhi, in a state procession marking the inauguration of
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
as the capital of India. Dressed in women's clothing , Basanta went to a rooftop overlooking viceroy's route reserved for ladies. He introduced himself to other spectators as Lakshmibai – an allusion to famous Rani of
Jhansi
Jhansi ( ) is a historic city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. (Toshan) Balwant Nagar was the old name of Jhansi. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand, on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme ...
. As the procession was passing by the rooftop, where Biswas was waiting, a bomb sailed down and exploded behind the viceroy. Hardinge was seriously injured , and the servant behind him holding his parasol was killed. As soon as his job was done Basanta dashed down to street and threw off his saree and disappeared into the crowd. He returned to
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
where he carried on his revolutionary activities. The authors of the deed remained obscure for many months despite the state's intense investigation, and lucrative reward.
Biswas was arrested on 26 February 1914 at Poragachha, Nadia while he went to perform the last rites for his father. He was also accused of throwing a bomb in the Lawrence Garden,
Lahore
Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
, on 17 May 1913, in which a peon was killed. The trial, which came to be called the
Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy Case, began on 23 May 1914 in Delhi;
Amir Chand, Abadh Behari, and
Bhai Balmukund
Bhai Balmukund (1889 – 8 May 1915) was an Indian revolutionary freedom fighter. He was sentenced to death and hanged by the British Raj for his role in Delhi conspiracy case. He was a cousin of another revolutionary Bhai Parmanand, who was a ...
, were condemned to death in the trial, and Basanta Biswas was found guilty but initially sentenced to life imprisonment as he was just seventeen years of old.

An
appeal
In law, an appeal is the process in which Legal case, cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of cla ...
was formulated at
Lahore High Court
The Lahore High Court () is a provincial court house based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established as a high court on 21 March 1882. The Lahore High Court has jurisdiction over the province of Punjab. The High Court's principal seat is ...
. 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
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
aged twenty and became one of the youngest people to be executed during the Indian revolutionary struggles during the 20th century.
Legacy

There is a statue of Basanta Biswas was established by Rasbihari Basu in a park of
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. Another statue is situated in front of Rabindra Bhawan,
Krishnanagar, Nadia
Krishnanagar (; ) is a city and a municipality. in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Nadia district.
History
Krishnanagar municipality was established in 1864 and is one of the oldest municipalities in Bengal. It is ...
. A school in
civil lines
Civil Lines, historically known as White Town, were residential neighborhoods developed during the British Raj for senior civilian officers, such as the Divisional Commissioner and District Magistrate. These townships were established across the In ...
, Delhi was named "Shaheed Basant Kumar Biswas Sarvodaya Vidhyalaya" in his memory. Although it was later renamed to
Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya
Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalayas, popularly known as RPVV or Pratibha Vidyalayas re-established as ''Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar Schools Of Specialized Excellence'' (DBRA-SOSE) are a school system run by the Directorate of Education, Government of D ...
. Loka Sabha Speaker
Meira Kumar
Meira Kumar (born 31 March 1945) is an Indian politician and former diplomat. A member of the Indian National Congress, she was the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004 to 2009, the Minister of Water Resources for a brief peri ...
has installed a photo of Basanta Kumar at the Museum of the
Indian Parliament
The Parliament of India (ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The President o ...
.
Ujjal Biswas, an Indian politician and the present Minister in the
Government of West Bengal
The Government of West Bengal, also known as the West Bengal Government, is the Administrative division, principal administrative authority of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal, created by the Constitution ...
belongs to the family of Basanta Biswas. The minister has been organising a three-day fair titled ''Basanta Mela'' at his village home in the month of February for the past 30 years.
See also
*
Indian National Army
The Indian National Army (INA, sometimes Second INA; ''Azad Hind Fauj'' ; 'Free Indian Army') was a Empire of Japan, Japanese-allied and -supported armed force constituted in Southeast Asia during World War II and led by Indian Nationalism#An ...
*
Azad Hind
The Provisional Government of Free India or, more simply, Azad Hind, was a short-lived Japanese-controlled provisional government in India. It was established in Japanese occupied Singapore during World War II in October 1943 and has been con ...
*
Delhi conspiracy case
The Delhi Conspiracy case, also known as the Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy, refers to an attempt made in 1912 to assassinate the then Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge by throwing a local self-made bomb of Anushilan Samiti by Jorawar Singh Bareth a ...
References
External links
BiographyAICC website article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biswas, Basanta
1895 births
1915 deaths
Anushilan Samiti
Revolutionary movement for Indian independence
Executed Indian revolutionaries
20th-century executions by British India
People executed by British India by hanging
People from Nadia district
Indian independence activists from Bengal