Major Revolutionary Movements and Organizations in the Indian Freedom Struggle

The revolutionary movement in the Indian freedom struggle emerged as a parallel stream alongside mainstream political agitations, seeking the direct overthrow of British colonial rule through armed actions, targeted assassinations, and clandestine organizations. Driven by intense ideological conviction, young revolutionaries organized secret societies across Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, and abroad. These groups countered repressive British policies, inspired nationalistic consciousness, and influenced the trajectory of India’s anti-colonial struggle.

Genesis and Early Phase of Revolutionary Terrorism

The initial phase of revolutionary activity (1890s–1915) arose out of dissatisfaction with the moderate politics of petitions and the violent British response to the Partition of Bengal in 1905.

Maharashtra Stream

• Ramosi Peasant Force (1879): Vasudev Balwant Phadke raised an armed peasant revolt in Maharashtra to establish an Indian republic. He is regarded as the father of Indian armed rebellion.
• Chapekar Brothers (1897): Damodar and Balkrishna Chapekar assassinated W.C. Rand, the Special Plague Commissioner of Pune, and Lieutenant Ayerst due to brutal anti-plague measures.
• Mitra Mela and Abhinav Bharat (1899–1904): Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Savarkar founded Mitra Mela at Nasik in 1899, which merged into Abhinav Bharat in 1904. Anant Lakshman Kanhere, a member of this group, assassinated Jackson, the Collector of Nasik, in 1909.

Bengal Stream

• Anushilan Samiti (1902): Promotha Mitter, Jatindranath Banerjee, and Barindra Kumar Ghosh established the Anushilan Samiti in Calcutta. A parallel branch operated in Dhaka under Pulin Behari Das.
• Alipore Bomb Conspiracy Case (1908): Kudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki attempted to assassinate Kingsford, the Chief Presidency Magistrate of Muzaffarpur. Prafulla Chaki committed suicide, while Khudiram Bose was hanged. Barindra Ghosh and Aurobindo Ghosh were arrested; Aurobindo was defended successfully by Chittaranjan Das.
• Howrah Gang Case (1910) and Jugantar: Jatindranath Mukherjee (popularly known as Bagha Jatin) reorganized the Jugantar group. He died in 1915 at Balasore following an armed encounter with British forces while attempting to receive German arms via the Maverick.

Punjab Stream

• Anjuman-i-Mohisban-i-Watan (1907): Ajit Singh (uncle of Bhagat Singh) and Sufi Amba Prasad formed this secret organization in Lahore, circulating revolutionary literature like Bharat Mata. They led the Pagdi Sambhal Jatta agitation against agrarian bills.
• Delhi Conspiracy Case (1912): Rash Behari Bose and Sachindra Nath Sanyal hurled a bomb at Viceroy Lord Hardinge during a ceremonial procession in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. Rash Behari Bose evaded arrest and later fled to Japan.

Revolutionary Activity Abroad

Indian revolutionaries created international networks in Europe, North America, and East Asia to procure arms, publish revolutionary literature, and rally international support.

India House and Paris Circle

• India House (London, 1905): Shyamji Krishnavarma established India House, started the journal The Indian Sociologist, and awarded fellowships to young revolutionaries.
• Assassination of Curzon Wyllie (1909): Madan Lal Dhingra assassinated Curzon Wyllie in London.
• Paris Indian Society: Bhikaiji Cama and S.R. Rana operated from Paris. Madam Cama unfurled the first version of the Indian National Flag at the International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1907.

Ghadar Movement (1913)

• Founding: Established as the Pacific Coast Hindustan Association in 1913 at San Francisco, USA, led by Lala Har Dayal, Sohan Singh Bhakna, and Bhai Parmanand.
• Journal: Published the weekly newspaper Ghadar in Urdu, Gurmukhi, and other languages.
• Komagata Maru Incident (1914): A Japanese ship carrying 376 prospective Indian immigrants was turned back from Vancouver. Upon returning to Budge Budge near Calcutta, clashes with British police resulted in the death of 20 passengers.
• Ghadar Mutiny (1915): The outbreak of World War I prompted Ghadarites to return to India to trigger an armed revolt within the British Indian Army. The plan was leaked, leading to widespread arrests and executions under the Defense of India Act 1915.

Berlin Committee and Provisional Government (1915)

• Zimmermann Plan: Virendranath Chattopadhyaya, Bhupendranath Dutta, and Lala Har Dayal formed the Berlin Committee for Indian Independence with German support to incite mutiny among Indian troops abroad.
• Provisional Government of India (1915): Raja Mahendra Pratap and Maulana Barkatullah established India’s first provisional government-in-exile at Kabul, Afghanistan.

Reorganization Phase: The 1920s and 1930s

The second phase of revolutionary activity was influenced by the sudden withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922, the impact of the Russian Revolution, and Marxist ideology.

Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) / HSRA

• Formation (1924): Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Ram Prasad Bismil, and Jogesh Chandra Chatterji founded the HRA in Kanpur to create a Federal Republic of the United States of India through an armed revolution.
• Kakori Train Action (1925): HRA members intercepted an official train carrying government treasury funds near Kakori, Lucknow. Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Roshan Singh, and Rajendra Lahiri were hanged.
• Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (1928): Under Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sukhdev, and Bhagwati Charan Vohra, the organization was renamed HSRA at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, adopting socialism as its ultimate goal.
• Saunders Assassination (1928): Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Azad killed J.P. Saunders in Lahore to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai following a police lathi-charge.
• Central Assembly Bombing (1929): Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw non-lethal bombs inside the Central Legislative Assembly to protest the Public Safety Bill and Trade Disputes Bill, courting arrest to propagate their views.
• Lahore Conspiracy Case (1931): Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were executed on March 23, 1931. Jatin Das died in Lahore jail after a 63-day hunger strike demanding political prisoner status.

Chittagong Armoury Raid (1930)

• Indian Republican Army (Chittagong Branch): Surya Sen (known as Masterda) organized an armed raid on twin armories in Chittagong, declaring a provisional revolutionary government.
• Key Associates: Kalpana Datta, Pritilata Wadedar, Ganesh Ghosh, and Ananta Singh. Pritilata Wadedar led an attack on the Pahartali European Club before taking poison to avoid capture.

Women Revolutionaries in Bengal

• Santi Ghosh and Suniti Chaudheri (1931): Schoolgirls who shot dead Stevens, the District Magistrate of Comilla.
• Bina Das (1932): Fired points-blank at Governor Stanley Jackson while receiving her degree at the Calcutta University convocation.

Major Revolutionary Organizations and Key Figures

Key Facts for Quick Revision

• Vasudev Balwant Phadke raised the Ramosi Peasant Force in 1879 to launch an armed rebellion against British rule.
• Shyamji Krishnavarma established India House in London in 1905 and published The Indian Sociologist.
• Madam Bhikaiji Cama unfurled the first version of the Indian National Flag at Stuttgart, Germany, in 1907.
• Kudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki attempted to assassinate Magistrate Kingsford at Muzaffarpur in 1908.
• The weekly journal Ghadar was first published in Urdu on November 1, 1913, from San Francisco.
• Raja Mahendra Pratap established the First Provisional Government of India at Kabul in 1915.
• Sachindra Nath Sanyal wrote the manifesto of the HRA titled The Revolutionary and authored the book Bandi Jiwan.
• Bhagwati Charan Vohra authored the ideological treatise The Philosophy of the Bomb.
• Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were executed on March 23, 1931, in the Lahore Conspiracy Case.
• Jatin Das died on September 13, 1929, after a 63-day hunger strike in Lahore Jail.
• Surya Sen led the Chittagong Armoury Raid on April 18, 1930.
• Bina Das shot Governor Stanley Jackson during her graduation ceremony at Calcutta University in 1932.