Jatindra Nath Das
Jatindra Nath Das (Bengali: যতীন্দ্রনাথ দাস; 27 October 1904 – 13 September 1929), better known as Jatin Das, was an Indian independence activist and revolutionary who worked to make India independent from the British Raj and was a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. He died in the Lahore Central Jail after a 63-day hunger strike.
"Jatin Das" redirects here. For the Indian painter and sculptor, see Jatin Das (painter).
Jatindra Nath Das
27 October 1904
13 September 1929 (aged 24)
Khedu,Jatin Da
- Following a 63-day hunger strike in prison
- Participating in the non-cooperation movement
Early life[edit]
Das was born in 1904 at Calcutta. He passed the matriculation and intermediate examinations in the First Division. He joined the Anushilan Samiti, a revolutionary group in Bengal, and also participated in Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement in 1921, aged 17. In November 1925, while studying for a B.A. at Bangabasi College in Calcutta, Das was arrested for his political activities and was imprisoned at the jail in Mymensingh. While interned there, he went on a hunger strike to protest the ill-treatment meted out to the political prisoners. After fasting for twenty days, the jail's superintendent apologised and he gave up the fast. Sachindra Nath Sanyal taught him how to make bombs.[1]
On 14 June 1929, he was again arrested for revolutionary activities and was imprisoned in Lahore Jail to be tried under the supplementary Lahore Conspiracy Case.
Hunger strike[edit]
In Lahore Jail, Das began another hunger strike along with other revolutionary fighters, demanding equality for Indian political prisoners with those from Europe. The conditions of Indian inhabitants of the jails was deplorable. The uniforms that Indian prisoners were required to wear in jail with were not washed for several days, and rats and cockroaches roamed the kitchen area making the food unsafe to eat. Indian prisoners were not provided with any reading material such as newspapers, nor paper to write on. The condition of the British prisoners in the same jail was strikingly different.
Das's hunger strike started on 13 July 1929 and lasted 63 days. The jail authority took measures to forcibly feed him and the other independence activists. Eventually, the jail authority recommended his unconditional release, but the government rejected the suggestion and offered to release him on bail.
Popular culture[edit]
Tamil writer Ki. Rajanarayanan's semi-historical novel Gopallapurathu Makkal (1989) makes a reference to Das.
In the 2002 film The Legend of Bhagat Singh, the character of Das was played by Amitabh Bhattacharjee.[5] A 35-minute documentary film titled Immortal Martyr Jatin Das was released in 2009.[1]