Remembering Batukeshwar Dutt: The Forgotten Comrade of Bhagat Singh
Table of Contents
Source: The Hindu
Relevance: UPSC GS-I Modern Indian History – Revolutionary Nationalism, HSRA
Key Concepts for Prelims and Mains:
For Prelims:
- Batukeshwar Dutt (1910–1965)
- Central Assembly Bombing (1929)
- Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA)
- Inquilab Zindabad slogan
- Delhi Assembly Bomb Case
- Quit India Movement (1942)
For Mains:
- Role of lesser-known freedom fighters
- Historical erasure and post-independence neglect
- Political prisoner conditions in British India
- Bhagat Singh–Dutt ideological partnership
- Debate on public commemoration and portraits in Parliament
Why in News?
November 18 marks the birth anniversary of Batukeshwar Dutt (1910–1965), the revolutionary who played a crucial role in the 1929 Central Assembly Bombing alongside Bhagat Singh. Despite his courage, long imprisonment, and sacrifices, Dutt remains largely absent from national memory, highlighting how India selectively remembers its revolutionaries.
Background: The Assembly Bombing and the Revolutionary Moment
On April 8, 1929, two young revolutionaries shook British rule by throwing harmless bombs into the Central Assembly Hall in Delhi, shouting “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Down with Imperialism.” Newspapers rushed to report the incident, and the world learned the names Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt. While Singh became legendary, Dutt slowly vanished from public consciousness, despite equal bravery.
A Revolutionary’s Journey
- Born in Burdwan, Bengal in 1910.
- Convicted in the Delhi Assembly Bomb Case on June 12, 1929.
- Spent nine years in harsh prisons: Multan, Jhelum, Trichinopoly, Salem, Andamans.
- Undertook repeated hunger strikes, twice fasting for over one month.
- Was in Salem Jail when Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev were executed on March 23, 1931.
- Released in 1938, rearrested during Quit India Movement (1942); jailed for four more years.
- Married Anjali, settled in Patna, daughter Bharti.
- Post-independence life marked by economic hardship.
- Coal depot allotted by Bihar govt failed; received only a symbolic six-month nomination to the Legislative Council.
Final Years: Illness, Neglect, and a Revolutionary’s Death
- Developed bone cancer in the mid-1960s.
- Spent eight months in AIIMS, New Delhi under Dr. Vig, who said only a “painless death” was possible.
- Plans to send him abroad dropped; Delhi care deemed equivalent.
- Died on July 20, 1965.
- As per his last wish, cremated at Hussainiwala beside Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev.
- Funeral attended by President, PM, ministers, but remembrance faded soon after.
Neglect and the Politics of Memory
- Parliament building still lacks portraits of Bhagat Singh and Dutt.
- Yet V. D. Savarkar’s portrait occupies a prominent place.
- In 2014, MPs Dharamvira Gandhi and Sitaram Yechury demanded inclusion of Bhagat Singh’s portrait; the demand was ignored.
- Dutt’s erasure documented by Chaman Lal Azad in Bhagat Singh aur Dutt ki Amar Kahani (1966).
- Book contains Bhagat Singh’s letters, Gandhi’s letter to Dutt, rare photos, eyewitness accounts.
- Remains out of print due to copyright issues.
- Dutt shared memories of comrades like Hari Kishan Talwar and Ehsan Ilahi.
- Criticised early films on Bhagat Singh; approved Manoj Kumar’s Shaheed (1965).
A Bond Beyond Martyrdom
- Mata Vidyawati, Bhagat Singh’s mother, lived with Dutt during his final days.
- She sold a gifted epic poem to fund his treatment.
- Comrades Shiv Verma, Sadashiv Malkapurkar, Kiran Das regularly visited him.
- Senior leaders, including Gulzari Lal Nanda, Y. B. Chavan, Jagjivan Ram, Swaran Singh, and Dr. Sushila Nayyar, visited him in hospital.
- Respect and sympathy rarely translated into material support during his life.
Legacy: A Revolutionary Forgotten
- Dutt admired Bhagat Singh’s intellectual depth and socialist ideals.
- Noted Singh was “far-sighted, always with a book in hand.”
- Yet national memory celebrated Bhagat Singh while Dutt slipped into obscurity.
- Works like Justice Anil Verma’s Bhagat Singh ke Sahyogi: Batukeshwar Dutt and Bhairav Lal Das’s Viplvi Batukeshwar Dutt attempt to revive his legacy.
- His life reflects how many revolutionaries were briefly honoured, rarely remembered, and largely neglected despite immense sacrifices.
Conclusion
Batukeshwar Dutt’s life reflects the courage of a revolutionary and the tragedy of a nation that forgot one of its own heroes. Despite his sacrifices, he remained marginalised in independent India’s memory. Remembering Dutt is essential not only to honour his contribution but also to correct historical neglect and ensure that the legacy of all freedom fighters is preserved with dignity.
UPSC PYQ
Assertion–Reason (CDS-I/2002)
Assertion (A): Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs in the Legislative Assembly in 1929.
Reason (R): They wanted to kill some members of the Legislative Assembly as revenge for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.
Options
- Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
- Both A and R are individually true but R is not the correct explanation of A
- A is true but R is false
- A is false but R is true
Correct Answer: (3) A is true but R is false
CARE MCQ
Q. Consider the following statements about Batukeshwar Dutt:
- He was a member of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha.
- The 1929 Assembly bombing was intended as a symbolic protest, not to cause casualties.
- He came in contact with Bhagat Singh during his college days in Kanpur.
How many of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Correct Answer: (c) All three