“TO PRESERVE YOUR HONOUR TAKE UP ARMS YOURSLVES YE MOTHER’S” is an autograph given by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to the little revolutionary of this story Shanti Ghosh in 1931 at a student conference in Comilla.
This story is based upon the life of world’s youngest girl’s revolutionaries, Shanti Ghosh & Suniti Chaudhary from Bengal……
On 15 December 1931 a news become the headlines of leading newspaper of India, London,Russia & Iorland ( The Statesmen, Amrit bajar patrika etc.)
“TIEPRA (TRIPURA) DISTT MAGISTRATE & COLLECTOR SHOT DEAD BY A GIRL AT HIS BUNGALOW TWO YOUNG GIRL ARRESTED
[It is reported that Distt Magistrate & Collector Mr. CGB Steven shot dead at his bungalow by two young girls. The incident was reported at about 10 AM in the morning. The two girls was arrested at spot and identified as SUNITI CHAUDHARY D/O UMACHARN CHAUDHARY, 13 yrs old the another is SHANTI GHOSH D/O PROF. DEBENDRA NATH GHOSE ,13 yrs old, both resident of Comilla and both are student of 8th class of Faizunisan Girl High school. “]
In the Pre-Independence era the nation was burning with the desire of Independence and the British were struggling to control the rampaging non-violent movement on the one side and the revolutionary strikes on the other, two young girls Shanti Ghosh & Suniti Chaudhary echoed Indian sprit through their sacrifice.
Shanti & Suniti two ordinary girls are studying in a local school. They don’t even know the meaning of Ghulami & Ajadi. They gradually come to know about Jatin Das, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Surjya Sen, Subhash Chandra Bose & others through their elders. By and by they also join the group of revolutionaries called JUGANTAR.
Akhil Nandi is a senior leader of Comilla Jugantar group. Sishir Chaudhary elder brother of Suniti is a trusted & valued lieutenant of group and Biren Bhattacharji is a sharp shooter and a good trainer of arms. Prafulla Brahma is a school student she is a close associate of group. This group organizes a big demonstration after the death of Jatin Das in September 1929 and when they heard about the news of Chittogong uprising by Masterda on 18th April 1930 they planning to do it in comilla also.
On 23rd March 1931 Bhagat Singh, Rajguru & Sukhdev hanged in Lahore jail. Very soon this news flashed all over India and at comilla. Akhil & group decide to take the revenge of the death of 3 martyrs and plan to kill three British officers they choose Collector Steven, Suptd of Police & Distt Intelligence Officer. Some members of the group reject this decision and given up the group. The group then divides but Akhil & Biren soon take decision to do it. When they are planning to kill, a boy of the separated group disclose it to Collector Steven by this the three officers stop to come out from their houses and start offices in their houses. This becomes a problem for the group.
For this they choose Shanti & Suniti to do this action. They accept the decision cheerfully and are trained in secret in the hills nearby. Smilingly and bravely they tolerate all the hardship of the training and are finally ready to do their ultimate task. The two girls approached the collector Mr. Steven at his bungalow with a petition for permission for a swimming club. When face to face with him they fired at the collector and shot him dead. This heroic action of the two young girls thrilled the country from one end to other. Their unusual claim, serenity and cheerfulness seen all through their under trial days in the prison and in the court, struck one and all with wonder. All the time they song and laughed, they expected to die a martyr’s death, but in view of their tender age, they were given the sentence of life imprisonment. Though a bit disappointed, they took the judgment cheerfully and bravely and entered the portals of the prison house, singing aloud Poet Nazurul’s famous song “OH BREAK DOWN THOSE IRON BARS! BURN AWAY ALL THESE PRISON HOUSES!”