Pritilata Waddedar and Revolutionary Action

Pritilata Waddedar was an Indian revolutionary freedom fighter who played a major role in the armed anti-colonial struggle in Bengal during the 1930s. A core member of the Indian Republican Army (Chittagong Branch) led by Surya Sen (“Masterda”), she became the first female martyr of the Bengali revolutionary movement. Her leadership during the 1932 attack on the Pahartali European Club challenged British colonial authority and broke traditional gender barriers within underground armed resistance, inspiring women across India to participate actively in the national movement.

Early Life and Education

Family Background and Academic Record

Pritilata Waddedar was born on May 5, 1911, in Dhalghat village of Chittagong district, Bengal Presidency (now in Bangladesh). Her father, Jagabandhu Waddedar, worked as a clerk in the Chittagong Municipality, while her mother, Pratibhamayi Devi, was a homemaker. She completed her early schooling at Khastagir Government Girls’ School in Chittagong, where she consistently secured top academic ranks.

Student Activism and Higher Education

Pritilata pursued higher studies at Bethune College in Calcutta, earning a degree in Philosophy with distinction. During her college years in Calcutta, she joined the Deepali Sangha, a revolutionary women’s organization founded by Leela Nag in Dhaka. The group provided physical culture, martial arts, and ideological training to young women to prepare them for anti-colonial political work. She also participated in the activities of the Chhatri Sangha (Female Students’ Association), expanding her contacts with underground nationalist circles.

Association with Surya Sen and Revolutionary Recruitment

Return to Chittagong as Headmistress

Upon completing her graduation in 1932, Pritilata returned to Chittagong and took up the position of Headmistress at the Nandankanan Aparnasena English Medium School. She used her job as an educator to conceal her underground political work and assist hidden revolutionaries.

Entry into the Indian Republican Army

Pritilata met Surya Sen in 1932 while he was living underground following the Chittagong Armoury Raid of April 18, 1930. Although senior revolutionary leaders initially hesitated to induct women into active combat roles, Surya Sen recognized her dedication and tactical discipline. She joined the Indian Republican Army (Chittagong Branch) and took charge of transporting arms, delivering secret messages, and procuring chemicals for manufacturing explosives.

The Dhalghat Encounter (1932)

In June 1932, British troops surrounded a secret hideout in Dhalghat village where Surya Sen, Nirmal Sen, Pritilata Waddedar, and Apurba Sen were staying. During the resulting firefight, revolutionary leader Nirmal Sen and Apurba Sen died while holding off police forces, enabling Surya Sen and Pritilata to escape safely. This incident made Pritilata a high-priority target for British intelligence, forcing her to abandon her teaching position and go completely underground.

The Pahartali European Club Attack (1932)

Planning and Tactical Preparation

Surya Sen assigned Pritilata the leadership of an armed assault on the Pahartali European Club in Chittagong. The club was an exclusive recreation venue for British officers and railway officials, famous for displaying a discriminatory sign at its entrance reading “Dogs and Indians Not Allowed.” Surya Sen selected Pritilata to command the operation to demonstrate that women could lead direct combat missions against colonial targets.

Execution of the Operation

On the night of September 24, 1932, Pritilata led a team of eight revolutionaries, including Kalipada Chakravarty, Santi Chakraborty, and Prafulla Das. The team members dressed as Punjabi men, while Pritilata wore the uniform of a male military officer to conceal her identity. At approximately 10:90 PM, the team surrounded the club building, armed with metallic bombs, revolvers, and rifles. Upon Pritilata’s command, the team hurled explosives through the club windows and opened fire on the British officers gathered inside. The attack resulted in the death of one European woman and injured dozens of colonial officers.

Self-Sacrifice and Martyrdom

British guards and armed police stationed at the club returned fire. Pritilata sustained a bullet wound to her single leg during the retreat. Realizing that her physical injury would slow down her retreating comrades and lead to her capture and subsequent interrogation by British police, she chose self-sacrifice. She consumed a potassium cyanide capsule that she carried for emergency situations and died on the spot on September 24, 1932, at twenty-one years of age.

Key Figures and Comparison of Women in Bengal Armed Resistance

Key Exam Facts

• Pritilata Waddedar was born on May 5, 1911, in Dhalghat village, Chittagong district.
• She studied at Bethune College in Calcutta, where she joined the Deepali Sangha led by Leela Nag.
• She served as the Headmistress of Nandankanan Aparnasena English Medium School in Chittagong while working underground for the freedom movement.
• She was a core operational member of the Indian Republican Army (Chittagong Branch) founded by Surya Sen (“Masterda”).
• She escaped British police surrounding her hideout during the Dhalghat encounter in June 1932, where revolutionary leader Nirmal Sen sacrificed his life.
• Surya Sen appointed her as the military commander for the attack on the Pahartali European Club on September 24, 1932.
• The Pahartali European Club displayed a sign at its entrance stating “Dogs and Indians Not Allowed.”
• She wore a male Punjabi military officer uniform during the Pahartali attack to lead her team.
• She consumed potassium cyanide on September 24, 1932, to avoid police capture, becoming the first female martyr of Bengal’s armed revolutionary movement.
• Colonial police recovered a manifesto from her body titled An Appeal to Women, urging Indian women to join the armed struggle against foreign rule.