Niranjan Sengupta(26 July 1904 – 4 September 1969) was a

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

Indian

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

, a

freedom fighter A freedom fighter is a person engaged in a struggle to achieve political freedom, particularly against an established government. The term is typically reserved for those who are actively involved in armed or otherwise violent rebellion. Termi ...

, and later on, a leader of the

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...

. He associated with the

Anushilan Samiti () was an Indian fitness club, which was actually used as an underground society for anti-British revolutionaries. In the first quarter of the 20th century it supported revolutionary violence as the means for ending British rule in India. The ...

. Born in

Barisal Barisal ( or ; , ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal District and Barisal Divi ...

district, he became active in the nationalist movement during his student years at Ripon College. He sought to unify various revolutionary groups in Bengal and organized arms procurement efforts from his Mechhuabazar residence. Arrested in a police raid, he was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in the

Cellular Jail The Cellular Jail, also known as Kālā Pānī (), was a British colonial prison in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The prison was used by the colonial government of India for the purpose of exiling criminals and political prisoners. Many ...

. His incarceration transformed him ideologically, leading him to adopt

Marxism Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, ...

and work as a communist activist in post-independence India.

Early life and education

Niranjan Sengupta was born on 26 July 1904, in Narayanpur Village of Bharukathi, under Banaripara Police Station, Jhalakathi District, Barishal Division of undivided Bengal, to Sarbananda Sengupta, a clerk in the Civil Court and Kadambini Sengupta. The couple had eleven children (six sons, five daughters). He was the eldest among his brothers, and including his sisters, he was the second oldest. NSGupta 2

Niranjan Sengupta passed his

Matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

with First Division in 1920 from

Barishal Zilla School Barishal Zilla School (), popularly known as BZS, is a public educational institution for boys, located in Barisal, Bangladesh. It was the first high school established in Barisal Division. Founded as Barisal English School on 23 December 1829 b ...

. Thereafter, he moved to

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

(now Kolkata) in 1921, and took admission in Ripon College (now

Surendranath College Surendranath College is an undergraduate college affiliated to the University of Calcutta, in Kolkata, India. It was founded in 1884 by the nationalist leader and scholar Surendranath Banerjee. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate level co ...

) for I.Sc.( Intermediate of Science). After passing his I.Sc. with First Division in 1923, he got admitted to Krishnanath College (now

Murshidabad University Murshidabad University is a public state university in Berhampore, Murshidabad, West Bengal. The university was established in 2021 by the West Bengal government under ''The Murshidabad University Act, 2018''.It is named after a great thinker, a ...

) to pursue his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree, under the order of

, which he was an active member of, during his educational days in Calcutta(now

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

). On 7 December 1925, the eve of his final year examination, Niranjan Sengupta was arrested for the very first time, at around 2 PM, from his college laboratory, under the Bengal Criminal Law Amendment Act, and was sent to Midnapore Central Jail. He completed his Graduation from prison.

Personal life

Soon after passing his I.Sc.( Intermediate of Science) examination, Niranjan Sengupta was married off to Amiya Sengupta(née Ray), daughter of Chintaharan Ray,

Vice Principal In larger school systems, a head teacher principal is often assisted by someone known as a vice-principal, deputy principal, or assistant/associate principal. Unlike the principal, the vice-principal does not have quite the decision-making author ...

of BM College( Government Brojomohun College),

Barishal Barisal ( or ; , ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal District and Barisal Divi ...

. They were childless.

Revolutionary activities

In 1925, the first elected

student's union A students' union or student union, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organization ...

in India was at Ripon College (now

) with Niranjan Sengupta as its president. He was a leader of the

branch of Anushilan Samiti. In 1929, he was one of the leaders who led to the formation of the neo-violence confederation. In 1930, in connection with the Mechuabazar Bomb Case, he was arrested with 23 others. In 1932, he was sent to the

with other revolutionaries where he became acquainted with Communist ideas. NiranjanSengupta

Politics

Later, Niranjan Sengupta became a

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

and joined the

Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...

in 1938. He was one of the seven members of an inner committee set up by the

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

of the Communist Party of India. He also had important role during the inner-party struggle of this communist party. He was elected as a member of Legislative Assembly of

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 ...

in 1957 election from Bijpur. After the split in the Communist Party of India, Niranjan Sengupta remained with the

. He was also a minister in the coalition ministry of West Bengal in 1967 – 1968 and

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

Death

Niranjan Sengupta died on 4 September 1969, around 3:15 AM, at Ramakrishna Seva Sadan (now Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan) of Calcutta (now

Legacy

A half-bust statue of Niranjan Sengupta has been erected at

Ranikuthi Ranikuthi is an urban area in South Kolkata, India. It is a part of Tollygunge Tollygunge (; nicknamed 'Mini Mumbai' or 'Mini Bombay') is a locality of South Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. It is known for being the center of Indian Beng ...

More to commemorate his contribution to India's freedom struggle and independence as a

and

, and also to the

refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

community as a minister of the

. The road next to it, starting from Ranikuthi More up to G.D. Birla Centre for Education More has been named in his honour as Niranjan Sengupta Sarani. A performing arts theatre and auditorium named Niranjan Sadan has been built in his memory at Bijoygarh, opposite to Vijaygarh Jyotish Ray College. NSGupta 5

Notes

External links

Muktadhara article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sengupta, Niranjan Anushilan Samiti Revolutionary movement for Indian independence Indian revolutionaries People from Barisal District University of Calcutta alumni 1903 births 1969 deaths Communist Party of India politicians from West Bengal Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from West Bengal