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Master Surya Sen ‘da’
“Death is knocking at my door. My mind is flying away towards eternity. At such a pleasant, at such a grave, at such a solemn moment, what shall I leave behind you? Only one thing, that is my dream, a golden dream- THE DREAM OF FREE BHARAT.”
● Master Surya Sen ‘da’ was born on March 22, 1894 in Noapada, Chittagong, to a teacher named Ramniranjan Sen. Chittagong (in present-day Bangladesh) was a part of undivided Bengal during the colonial period.
● For his graduation, Surya Sen went to Baharampur College in Murshidabad. Presently this institute is famous as Krishnanath College, named after the Zamindar Raja Krishnanath of Kasim Bazar, Murshidabad.
● Sen joined the 'Anushilan Samiti' in the year 1916, inspired by the spirit of nationalism and his teachers in the college.
● 'Anushilan Samiti' was an organization of youths formed in the beginning of the 20th century whose sole aim was to drive the British out of India.
● Sen was also actively involved in the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922) and was arrested for anti-British activities in the late 1920s.
● After being released from jail, Surya Sen led 'The Indian Revolutionary Army'.
● The main objective of the IRA was to lead an organized struggle against the British and to challenge their authority. One of the most notable actions of the IRA was the Chittagong Armory Raid of 1930.
● Surya Sen began mobilizing and training youths there for raids working as a teacher in Chittagong.
● On 18 April 1930, more than sixty students divided into groups led by Surya Sen, Ganesh Ghosh, Pritilata Wadedar and others launched a planned attack on the colonial administration of Chittagong and its entire system.
● Their objective was to disrupt the government communication system in Chittagong, raid the armory of the police and auxiliary forces, and collect weapons.
● These raided weapons were to be distributed among the revolutionary workers to launch an armed struggle against the British.
● They were successful in disrupting telegraph and railway lines and raiding the armory, but failed to find ammunitions.
● He (Sen) declared Chittagong independent and claimed to form a provisional government there and requested youths to join him.
● Due to this sudden attack, the British officials were shaken by this development and even retreated for some time, but in no time they came back more empowered and brutally suppressed the activists.
● Surya Sen and most of his associates hid in the hills of Jalalabad. Sen got huge support from the people in the villages there.
● Surya Sen managed to escape from the British for almost three years before being captured on February 16, 1933.
● On January 12, 1934, Surya Sen and his associate Tarakeshwar Dastidar were hanged.

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