Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Monday, 13 September 2021
Homage to Martyr Jatin Das on Martyrdom Day 13th September
Premdatta Verma was the youngest
member convicted to five years imprisonment in Lahore conspiracy case. In court
proceedings when approver turned Jai Gopal teased the revolutionaries,
Premdatta could not control himself and threw a chappal on Jai Gopal. For his
this act the revolutionaries faced much torture in jail and inside court room.
Although a formal apology was rendered by revolutionaries, the tortures had no
end. Like many other revolutionary comrades of Bhagat Singh, who survived, they
mostly went into oblivion and away from public eye. Premdatta after
independence had joined as lecturer in History department of Panjab University
Chandigarh, but despite my best efforts, I have not able to get any details
from the University, except that a tribute to his co-prisoner Jatindernath Das
was found in a university bulletin in 19th September 1964 issue. As
his son Pramod Datta contacted me, we could know that Premdatta verma was alive
till 19th September 2011, completing 100 years of life. More about
Premdatta Verma will be posted on 19th September, his tenth death
anniversary, but on Jatin Das martyrdom anniversary on 13th September
(1929), an eye witness account of his co-prisoner and revolutionary Premdatta
Verma is posted today.
( Chaman Lal, editor The
Bhagat Singh Reader, and Honrary advisor Bhagat Singh Archives New Delhi)
18 revolutionary under-trials under the leadership of
Jatindranath Das went on a prolonged hunger strike in protest against the horrible
conditions in the British jails. They demanded that they be treated not as
criminals but as political prisoners. The entire nation rallied behind the
hunger strikers.
In the jail, the force-feeding gang came twice a day,
armed with doctors, hefty jail warders, rubber tubes, funnels and jugs of milk.
Seven persons held Jatin down, four for the two legs, one each for the arms,
and one to hold the head in position. When Jatin was held flat on the bed, a
tube was thrust through his nostrils down through the food pipe. Milk was
poured through a funnel.
However, Jatin knew a trick whereby as soon as the tube
through the nostrils reached the throat, a little coughing would divert it to
the mouth. When the milk was poured, it came out through the open mouth. The
doctor came next with 3 tubes - two for the nostrils and one for the mouth. The
nostrils were blocked, the mouth was blocked and the milk was poured.
The doctor had forgotten one thing. How would Jatin
breathe. There was a slight coughing, the wind pipe was blocked and lungs went
up in revolt. Jatin's face turned red and he had violent convulsions. The tubes
were hurriedly withdrawn. But it was too late. Jatin Das was on the way to his
death. Jatin's blood showed symptoms of poisoning. The burnt body fats were
inviting death. The end came on 13th September, 1929 at around 4 pm. He had
been without a drop of nutrition for 40 days, and on hunger strike for 51 days.
The news of his death spread like wild-fire in the city.
The jail officers carried the bier to the outer gate and handed it over to the
assembled masses to whom Jatin belonged. A train carried his body on a 1600
mile journey from Lahore to Calcutta. Thousands came to pay him homage at every
station passed by the train. The compartment was strewn with flowers and
fruits. At Calcutta, a two-mile-long procession of more than 600,000 people
accompanied the valiant son of Bengal to the cremation ground. The nation's
soul will never let such martyrs die.
- Dr. Premdatta Verma, Punjab University Weekly Bulletin,
Sep 19, 1964
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)