Jatin Banerjee

Jatin Banerjee is a martyr to the cause of Indian independence. He was one of the first batch of freedom fighters of the 20th century who inspired others to continue the work he had begun.

Jatin was born in the late 1890's in Koya, Bengal. From a very young age Jatin was aware that his mission in life was to help oust the British from his motherland. Jatin's mother, a widow, raised him to be self-confident and to fight for those who could not fight for themselves.

Jatin was well known not only for his physical prowess, but also for his absolute commitment toward his principles. He on more then one occasion spent time in jail for assaulting British officers. An example is of reaction when he noticed four British officers harassing a young lady and her grandfather on a train in a neighboring compartment. Bhaga Jatin ripped apart the bars that separated the compartments and made short work of four officers single-handedly. He was arrested for the action a few days later, but the judge fearing that the publicity would inspire other Indians youth to follow in Bhaga's footsteps dismissed the case.

His methods for bringing India closer to independence were often violent. He advocated and taught other young revolutionaries to make and use bombs and firearms. While pursued his passion secretly, he maintained his day job as a stenographer to the Governor's secretary. The police commissioner, Tegart, was puzzled by the continued spate of deadly assaults on British officers. It seemed that as soon as one revolutionary was caught and hanged, another sprung up. They did suspect Bhaga Jatin to be mastermind of the revolutionary operations but could produce no proof against him. A young jailed revolutionary was tricked into revealing the identity of his leader and Jatin was arrested based on the revolutionary's confession. Jatin was held for fifteen months before being released for lack of proof.

Soon after his release, Jatin quit his government job and opened up a contracting firm known as Harry Company. This company was a front for importing arms from Japan and Germany to continue the fight for India independence. When Aravinda Gosh left for Pondicherry, Jatin took over leadership of the revolutionaries. A plan was setup by Jatin, Rash Behari Bose and other revolutionaries to launch an armed conflict against the British army on February 21, 1915 in Punjab and the rest of North India. An informant in guise of a revolutionary relayed the planned campaign to the Bristish. The British swooped down upon the revolutionaries. Those who were arrested were sent to the gallows. The officials in Calcutta went on alert and a manhunt for Jatin began.

He was tracked down to a hideout in Kaptipada. He along with four other young revolutionaries went into the nearby forest in an attempt to escape the British. A gentleman against all odds, Jatin backtracked to the house where the revolutionaries had sought shelter in the middle of the night to thank the owner for his hospitality.

The five revolutionaries ended being cornered on a small hill and there they held off British officers for hours. When the British soldiers finally reached the top they found one dead and the other four revolutionaries severely wounded. As Jatin was being taken to the hospital he insisted that he himself was entirely responsible for the days events and that the three surviving companions had nothing to do with what had happened. Jatin's undying devotion to his cause and his single-minded dedication to India's freedom commanded the respect of those who worked so hard to have him captured. Police commissioner Tegart rushed from Calcutta to Jatin's side as he was being operated on. Jatin passed away on September the 15th, 1915. Officer Tegart remarked at Jatin's deathbed that Bhaga Jatin was one of the bravest Indians he had ever seen.