Buribalam’s Bloodshed – The end of India’s Freedom Struggle during World War I

On September 9, 1915 the Buribalam incident wreaked havoc on an unsung hero. After the successful theft of Rodda’s Mauser C96, Jatindranath Mukherjee, went into hiding in Kaptipada village, Balasore, along with Manoranjan Sengupta, Chittapriya Ray Chaudhuri, Nirendranath Dasgupta, Jyotish Chandra Pal.

Jawaharlal Nehru, enlisted to keep an eye on the activities of Jugantar party and Anushilan Samiti, reported to the British who then sealed off all the sea approaches on the Ganges’ eastern coast, from Noakhali to Odisha. The police, then, raided Harry&Sons, which led them to a clue, linking Kaptipada.

Nirendranath (Niren) Dasgupta alerted Jatin, of the British, well ahead of time but his stubbornness of not leaving him, delayed his departure which later turned out to be fatal. In the meantime, the British troops had already surrounded the neighbourhood.

The 5 patriots left for Balasore station through Mayurbhanj, reaching there after 2 days. However, the police, offering a bounty on 5 ‘fleeing bandits’, made their task difficult. On September 9, on the foothills, a gunfight lasting 75 minutes ensued, which led to the onspot killing of Chittapriya and hospitalization of Baghajatin. He died in Balasore hospital on September 10th, thus, marking the Battle of Balasore, worthy of mourn.

Forward Media Group pays homage to the Martyrs of Buribalam.

Write-up by: Kausani Saha

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