Christmas Day Plot and Revolutionary Plans

The Christmas Day Plot of 1915 was an ambitious military insurrection planned by Indian revolutionaries to overthrow British colonial rule during World War I. Conceived primarily by the Jugantar group under the leadership of Jatindranath Mukherjee (popularly known as Bagha Jatin), the plot aimed to capture Fort William in Calcutta, isolate Bengal, and trigger an all-India pan-Indian mutiny. This operation formed part of the broader Hindu-German Conspiracy, which involved a global network connecting Indian secret societies, the Berlin Committee in Germany, the Ghadar Party in North America, and the Imperial German Foreign Office.

Historical Background and Early Precedents

The idea of leveraging religious holidays or high-profile social events for a revolutionary coup emerged well before World War I.

The 1909 Christmas Day Conspiracy

The earliest precursor occurred during the year-end holidays of 1909. The Governor of Bengal hosted a grand ball at his residence in Calcutta, attended by the Viceroy, the Commander-in-Chief, and senior colonial officers. Security for the event was managed by the 10th Jat Regiment, whose soldiers had been secretly recruited by Bagha Jatin. The planned conspiracy involved blowing up the ballroom to eliminate the top colonial leadership in a single strike and seize political power. The plot failed after an informer alerted the police, leading to the Howrah-Sibpur Conspiracy Case trials.

Outbreak of World War I (1914)

With the onset of World War I, British troop deployments shifted from India to Europe and the Middle East, leaving colonial garrisons understaffed. Jugantar and the Ghadar Party recognized this strategic window and collaborated with German authorities to secure financial backing, weapons, and ammunition.

The Strategic Plan for the 1915 Insurrection

Scheduled for December 25, 1915, the Christmas Day Plot was designed as a multi-theater military operation spanning Bengal, Burma, Thailand, and the Andaman Islands.

The Bengal Theater

• Target Execution: Bagha Jatin and his key lieutenant, Narendranath Bhattacharya (later known as M. N. Roy), planned to seize Fort William in Calcutta and capture the city.
• Military Support: The revolutionaries planned to win over the 14th Rajput Regiment stationed in Calcutta.
• Cutting Communication Lines: Teams were instructed to blow up railway bridges at Balasore (to sever connections with Madras), Chakradharpur (to isolate Bihar), and Ajay (to block northern routes), effectively isolating Bengal from British reinforcements.

The Burma-Siam Theater

• Infiltration: Directed by the Ghadar Party, revolutionaries infiltrated the Burma Military Police from bases in neutral Thailand.
• Diversionary Uprising: The objective was to stage an armed revolt along the Thai-Burma border, preventing British forces in Burma from reinforcing garrisons in Calcutta.

The Andaman Islands Raid

• Liberation of Political Prisoners: A German force raised in the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia) was tasked with raiding the Cellular Jail in Port Blair.
• Expeditionary Force: The plan aimed to free hundreds of incarcerated Indian revolutionaries, arm them, and launch a coastal invasion of the Indian mainland.

Mechanism of Arms Procurement: The Batavia Scheme

To supply arms for the December uprising, Narendranath Bhattacharya traveled to Batavia (Jakarta) in April 1915 under the pseudonym C. A. Martin. He met with the German Consul and Theodor Helfferich to arrange shipments of German weaponry.

Planned Arms Shipments

• SS Maverick: A German-chartered cargo vessel loaded with 30,000 rifles, over 400 rounds of ammunition per rifle, and cash, scheduled to dock at Rai Mangal in the Sundarbans.
• SS Henry S.: A secondary vessel dispatched to supply weapons to the Burma-Siam border via Manila.
• Local Distribution: The weapons landing at Rai Mangal were to be split into three portions: one for Calcutta, one for East Bengal (Hatia), and one for Balasore.

Unraveling of the Plot and Suppression

British intelligence services systematically intercepted details of the plot through international intelligence sharing, double agents, and intercepted telegrams.

Interception of Arms Ships

• Double Agents: Details regarding the shipment via the SS Maverick and the Andaman raid plans were leaked to British authorities by double agents operating in South-East Asia and Europe.
• Seizure of Cargo: British and Allied naval blockades intercepted the SS Maverick before it could reach the Bay of Bengal, confiscating its arms.

Raids on Secret Headquarters

Police raided Harry & Sons in Calcutta and arrested key operatives. Interrogations and seized documents revealed Bagha Jatin’s temporary operational base in Balasore, Odisha, where he was awaiting the arrival of the arms shipment.

Battle of Burhibalang (September 9, 1915)

A armed police detachment led by the District Magistrate surrounded Bagha Jatin and four of his companions—Chittapriya Ray Chaudhuri, Manoranjan Sengupta, Niren Dasgupta, and Jyotish Chandra Pal—near the banks of the Burhibalang River in Balasore. The revolutionaries, armed only with Mauser pistols, fought an uneven 75-minute gun battle against police equipped with modern rifles. Chittapriya died on the spot. Bagha Jatin was severely wounded and died the following day, September 10, 1915, at the Balasore hospital. Manoranjan and Niren were later executed, while Jyotish was sentenced to transportation for life.

Essential Facts

• Bagha Jatin acquired his name after killing a Royal Bengal Tiger single-handedly with a dagger in his native Nadia district in 1906.
• Narendranath Bhattacharya took the name M. N. Roy while traveling through the United States in 1916 to avoid British arrest, later becoming a founder of the Communist Party of India and the Mexican Communist Party.
• The Defence of India Act 1915 was introduced by the colonial administration primarily to suppress underground networks tied to the Christmas Day Plot and the Ghadar Party.
• The failure of the Christmas Day Plot marked the end of major armed insurrection attempts during World War I, shifting revolutionary activity back to smaller underground operations until the emergence of the Hindustan Republican Association in the 1920s.