Jatindra Nath Das and Hunger Strike

Jatindra Nath Das, popularly known as Jatin Das, was an Indian revolutionary freedom fighter, pyrotechnic expert, and prominent member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). He is best remembered for his historic 63-day hunger strike in Lahore Central Jail, where he sacrificed his life on September 13, 1929, demanding political prisoner status and basic human rights for Indian revolutionaries. His martyrdom triggered widespread public outrage across British India, galvanizing mass participation in the national movement and setting an unprecedented benchmark for non-violent resistance inside colonial prisons.

Early Life and Entry into Revolutionary Politics

Academic Background and Non-Cooperation Movement

Jatindra Nath Das was born on October 27, 1904, in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency. He completed his schooling in Calcutta and joined Bangabasi College for higher studies. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s call for national liberation, he joined the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1921 at seventeen years of age. He was arrested for his anti-colonial political activism and served a six-month prison sentence in 1921.

Association with Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar

Following the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922, Jatin Das joined the Anushilan Samiti and later established contacts with the Jugantar group in Bengal. He mastered chemical engineering and pyrotechnics, becoming an expert bomb-maker for underground revolutionary networks. In 1925, colonial police arrested him under the Bengal Criminal Law Amendment Act, detaining him in Mymensingh Central Jail without trial. During this incarceration, he undertook a 20-day hunger strike against police ill-treatment of political detainees, forcing prison authorities to accept his demands and grant him release.

Recruitment into HSRA and the Assembly Bomb Case

Collaboration with Bhagat Singh

In 1928, Bhagat Singh met Jatin Das in Calcutta during the annual session of the Indian National Congress. Bhagat Singh recognized Jatin’s expertise in pyrotechnics and invited him to join the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) to manufacture bombs for party operations. Jatin Das established a secret bomb manufacturing laboratory at Agra, where he trained HSRA revolutionaries, including Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar, in handling chemical explosives.

Preparation of Legislative Assembly Bombs

Jatin Das formulated the low-intensity, non-lethal bombs used by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt in the Central Legislative Assembly on April 8, 1929. The action was planned specifically to generate sound rather than cause human casualties, aiming to protest the Trade Disputes Bill and the Public Safety Bill. Following police raids on HSRA bomb factories in Lahore and Saharanpur in May 1929, colonial authorities arrested Jatin Das in Calcutta on June 14, 1929.

The Lahore Central Jail Hunger Strike (1929)

Demands of the Political Prisoners

The British administration charged Jatin Das alongside Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, and other revolutionaries under the supplementary Lahore Conspiracy Case. Upon being transferred to Lahore Central Jail, the revolutionaries observed severe disparity between European and Indian prisoners regarding food quality, sanitation, clothing, and access to books. On July 13, 1929, Jatin Das joined Bhagat Singh and fellow HSRA detainees in an indefinite hunger strike. Jatin initial refused to participate due to his prior experience, warning his comrades that a hunger strike must be fought unto death without compromise. Once his comrades agreed never to back down, Jatin committed fully to the strike.

Key Demands of the Hunger Strikers

• Classification of all political prisoners in a separate ‘A’ or ‘B’ category, independent of their social status.
• Provision of hygienic food, decent clothing, and basic medical care equivalent to European convicts.
• Access to newspapers, books, and writing materials inside prison cells.
• Immunity from hard physical labor and degrading corporal punishment.

Resistance Against Forced Feeding

Colonial jail authorities attempted forced feeding (gavage) using rubber tubes inserted through the nasal passages. During one such attempt on July 24, 1929, prison staff accidentally inserted the feeding tube into Jatin’s lungs instead of his stomach, transferring liquid milk directly into his respiratory system. This resulted in severe pulmonary inflammation and chest infections. Despite deteriorating health, severe body pain, and loss of vision, Jatin refused all medical treatment and nourishment offered by British authorities.

Martyrdom and National Aftermath

Death in Lahore Jail

After 63 days of continuous fast, Jatin Das passed away on September 13, 1929, at twenty-four years of age. His final words reaffirmed his refusal to accept conditional release or compromise with colonial authorities.

Mass Public Reaction and Funeral

News of his martyrdom triggered nationwide grief and strikes across major cities. Colonial authorities surrendered his body to his brother, Kiran Chandra Das. Millions gathered at railway stations along the route as a special train transported his mortal remains from Lahore to Calcutta. In Calcutta, a funeral procession led by Subhas Chandra Bose brought over 500,000 citizens to the Keoratola Burning Ghat, marking one of the largest public gatherings in the history of Bengal.

Impact on Colonial Prison Reforms

Jatin’s sacrifice forced the British administration to appoint the Punjab Jail Enquiry Committee in late 1929 to inspect prison conditions. The committee recommended major amendments to the Jail Code, leading to the eventual introduction of separate rules for political detainees across Indian provinces.

Key Figures and Comparison of Historic Indian Hunger Strikes

Key Exam Facts

• Jatin Das joined the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1921 at seventeen years of age.
• He undertook his first hunger strike in 1925 inside Mymensingh Central Jail, lasting 20 days.
• Bhagat Singh personally recruited Jatin Das into the HSRA due to his expertise in pyrotechnics and explosives.
• He created the low-intensity bombs thrown inside the Central Legislative Assembly by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt on April 8, 1929.
• He set up the secret HSRA bomb manufacturing unit at Agra.
• His famous hunger strike inside Lahore Central Jail began on July 13, 1929, and lasted 63 days.
• He passed away on September 13, 1929, inside Lahore Central Jail at twenty-four years of age.
• Subhas Chandra Bose led his massive funeral procession in Calcutta from the railway station to Keoratola Ghat.
• The British administration established the Punjab Jail Enquiry Committee in 1929 in response to his death.
• His sacrifice inspired Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam to compose revolutionary songs honoring political prisoners.