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Indubhushan Roy (Bengali: ইন্দুভূষণ রায় Indu Bhusan Roy) (1890–1912) was an Indian revolutionary and member of the Jugantar group, remembered for his martyrdom in the Cellular Jail. Born in a village in Khulna, Bengal, details of his early life remain obscure. An ardent follower of Aurobindo Ghose, he participated in the attempted bombing of the French Commissioner’s residence in Chandannagore in 1908. Arrested in connection with the Alipore Bomb Case, he was sentenced to transportation for life. In the Cellular Jail, Roy succumbed to brutal torture and allegedly died by suicide in 1912—though some accounts claim the year was 1918—becoming one of the movement's unsung martyrs.[1][2]
Indu Bhusan Roy | |
|---|---|
| ইন্দুভূষণ রায় | |
 | |
| Born | 1890 |
| Died | 29 April 1912 |
| Other names | Indu |
| Known for | involvement in Alipore Bomb Case and martyrdom in Cellular Jail |
| Father | Janak Nath Roy |
Early life
Indubhushan Roy was born in 1890 in Sritaltola, Khulna District. His father was Janak Nath Roy. From a young age, Indubhushan was deeply influenced by the desire for Indian independence and sought opportunities to contribute to freeing the country from British rule and establishing a better government. He attended high school in Khulna and appeared for the Entrance Examination in 1907 but did not pass.[1][2][3]
During this period, early marriage was a common expectation for young men, and his family also pressured him to marry. However, Roy chose a different path and left home with little notice, opting to live a life akin to that of an ascetic.[4][5][6][7]
Involvement in revolutionary activities
From a young age, Indubhushan Roy was deeply inspired by the desire to serve his country and free it from British colonial rule. While a student at a high school in Khulna, he appeared for the Entrance Examination in 1907 but did not succeed. During that era, early marriage was commonly expected, and Roy’s family also pressured him to marry. However, choosing a path of renunciation, he left his home with little notice to pursue a life dedicated to the cause of Indian independence movement.[1][2]
While searching for a place to continue his efforts, Roy encountered Barindra Kumar Ghosh at College Square, who informed him of ongoing secret preparations for revolutionary activities. Roy settled in Maniktala and began studying the Bhagavad Gita seriously. Influenced by historical accounts and nationalist literature such as Ananda Math, he gradually resolved to sacrifice his life for the country, intending to set an example for others.[3][4][5]
Known for his detachment from personal safety, Roy was entrusted with dangerous missions. One such assignment was the attempted bombing targeting the Mayor of Chandernagore Mr. Tardively on April 11, 1908.[6]
Subsequent trial and Judgement
At the age of eighteen, Indubhushan Roy was arrested on May 2, 1908, at 32 Muraripukur Road, Maniktala, along with Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Ullaskar Dutta, Upendranath Bandhopadhyay and several others, in connection with the Alipore Bomb Case. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to transportation for ten years.[7][8]
Judgment in the Alipore Conspiracy Case: Indubhushan Roy
Indubhushan Roy, accused in the Alipore Conspiracy Case, made a detailed confession to the magistrate, admitting his involvement in revolutionary activities. He stated that he had been living at a secret garden hideout at Maniktala for approximately eleven months, during which he studied the Bhagavad Gita and participated in the manufacture of bombs alongside associates, including Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Bibhutibhusan Sarkar, and Prafulla Chaki. Roy acknowledged that he was introduced to the revolutionary group by Barindra and was aware that its goal was to free India from British colonial rule and establish a better government.[9]
He admitted to having thrown a bomb into the residence of the Mayor of Chandernagore during a dinner event on April 11, 1908, in the company of Barindra and another accomplice from Serampore. Roy cited inspiration from nationalist literature such as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Anandamath and Russian revolutionary history.
During the investigation, multiple letters, money orders, and documents linked Roy to other accused revolutionaries, such as Sishir Ghosh and Upendranath Bandhopadhyay, indicating an extensive network. Handwriting analyses corroborated Roy’s authorship of several incriminating documents related to bomb-making and revolutionary plans. Witnesses, including shadowing officers and spies, identified Roy as actively involved in the plot and present at the secret garden hideout.[10]
Additionally, searches of Roy’s residence yielded papers and school exercises used to confirm his handwriting, as well as a list of rules for a revolutionary committee bearing his name. Items such as money order receipts signed by Roy also established his connections to other conspirators.[11]
Based on this evidence, Roy was convicted and sentenced to transportation for ten years to Cellular Jail, reflecting his significant role in the conspiracy aimed at undermining British authority through armed rebellion.[12]
Deportation & harassment in Cellular jail
Arrival at Cellular Jail
Indu Bhusan Roy was transferred to the dreaded Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands in December 1909, a place that inspired fear even among the most hardened criminals. Unlike many others, Indu was assigned to work outside the jail premises, which he found far more degrading and exhausting than the tasks performed within the prison walls.[13][14]
Discrimination Against Political Prisoners
Ordinary prisoners who fell ill while on outdoor duty were typically sent to a hospital outside the jail, which was generally better equipped than the jail infirmary. However, political prisoners faced a completely different treatment. Any sign of illness was dismissed as a pretence, and punishment followed. Even if a political prisoner was genuinely unwell and unable to perform heavy labor, he was forced to walk over four miles carrying his bedding on his shoulder, only to be locked up again in his solitary cell.[15]
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Deteriorating Health and Reassignment Request
As Indu’s physical condition worsened, he asked to be reassigned to duties inside the prison. Upon his return, he was chained hand and foot and locked up in his old cell. Within a couple of days, he was ordered back to his original outside work. When he refused, he was charged with breach of jail discipline.[16]
Desperate Plea for Relief
By late April 1912, Indu was in a pitiable state. On the afternoon of April 28, he asked to see the jailor. In a voice filled with desperation, he pleaded to be removed from the duty of extracting white flax from the Toxicodendron plant (Lacquer tree), which had caused severe blisters on his hands. The condition of his palms had worsened to the point that he could not move his fingers or eat without excruciating pain. Even the touch of food brought tears to his eyes.[17][18][19]
He begged either to be reassigned to a different task or sent to the hospital to allow his wounds to heal. All his appeals were met with abuse. When he asked to see the medical officer, the jailor shouted, “You must carry out my orders.” After a brief pause, he cruelly replied, “All right, I will change your work.” After a brief pause, he ordered Indu to be put on the kolu—the dreaded oil-crusher—from the next day. Indu murmured that he would not survive the kolu in his present condition, but the jailor remained unmoved.[20]
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Death in Custody
Later that night, Indu took his own life. At 1 a.m. on April 29, 1912, he was found hanging from the upper window of his cell, using a noose fashioned from strips of his torn kurta. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who was also detained at the same time, later wrote, “The young man must have found life too burdensome for the loss of his self-respect to bear or to endure.”
A warder found the body during his morning rounds. Although the jailor alerted the Medical Superintendent via telephone and even sent a police orderly to his nearby residence, there was no response until 8 a.m.. A Madrasi Hospital Assistant was finally summoned, but by then Indu’s body had grown cold and stiff.[21][22]
Official Cover-Up and Aftermath
The following morning, the Superintendent, District Magistrate, and police conducted an official inquiry. The jailor, widely regarded as a cruel and abusive figure, presented a fabricated account of the incident. He claimed that Indu’s suicide was the result of hallucinations—namely, a fear that fellow inmates like Nanigopal Mukherjee and Ganesh Damodar Savarkar were plotting to murder him. This implausible explanation was accepted without question.[23]
News of Indu Bhusan Roy’s tragic death reached India only weeks later, where it was met with widespread grief and outrage. His death, emblematic of the cruelty inflicted upon political prisoners, steeled the determination of countless Indians to fight for freedom and justice—so that no citizen would again have to endure such inhuman treatment under colonial rule.[24]
Legacy
Indu Bhusan Roy’s martyrdom at the Cellular Jail became a powerful symbol of British brutality and the resilience of Indian revolutionaries. His death, caused by relentless torture and denial of medical aid, stirred deep outrage when the news reached India. Documented by political prisoners like Veer Savarkar, his suffering highlighted the horrors of Kala Pani and inspired nationalist resolve. Though he did not witness independence, Indu Bhusan’s sacrifice echoed through revolutionary writings and speeches, strengthening the moral resolve of the freedom struggle. He remains a poignant emblem of idealism, courage, and the cost of India's journey to freedom.
See also
Other books
- Barindrakumar Ghosh, Pather Ingit, Calcutta, 1337 (Bengali year).
- Upendra Nath Bandyopadhyaya, Nirbasiter Atmakatha, Calcutta, 1352 (Bengali year).
- RC Majumdar, History of the Freedom Movement in India, II, Calcutta, 1963.
References
- ↑
"Amrit Kaal, Ministry of Culture, Government of India". amritmahotsav.nic.in. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
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"The Alipore Bomb Case". 1910.
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"Banglay Biplab Pracheshta". 1928.
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"The Alipore Bomb Trial". 1922.
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"The Alipore Bomb Case". 1910.
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"Jug-Barta যুগবার্তা". Prabartak Publishing House, Chandannagar. 1920.
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"Amar Dekha Biplob O Biplobi আমার দেখা বিপ্লব ও বিপ্লবী". Radharaman Chowdhury, Kolkata. 1957.
- ↑
"Jagaran জাগরণ". Satyendrabnath Sur, Chandannagar. 1938.
- ↑
Rakshit, Bhupendrakishor (1960). Bharater Sashastra-biplab.
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"Indian Bomb Outrages". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 1908-05-16. p. 8.
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"Abismaraniya Vol. 1". 1964.
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Ray, Bhupendrakishore Rakshit (1960). Bharate Shashastra Biplab.
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"Alipore Bomb Outrages". The Straits Times. 1909-12-03. p. 3.
- ↑
Bose, bejai Krishna (1910). The Alipore Bomb Case.
- ↑
"Indian Bomb Makers". The Straits Times. 1909-06-02. p. 7.
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GHOSH, KALI CHARAN (1960). THE ROLL OF HONOUR. VIDYA BHARATI, CALCUTTA.
- ↑
"Arabinda-prasanga". 1923.
- ↑
Dasgupta, Sri Hemendranath (1946). Bharater Biplab Kahini Vol. 1.
- ↑
"Untitled". The Straits Times. 1913-06-11. p. 8.
- ↑
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"Gita Katha ed. 1st". 1950.
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"The Story of Indian Revolution". Prajnananda Jana Seva Sangha, Calcutta. 1972.
- ↑
Sarkar, Tanika (2014). Rebels, wives, saints : Designing selves and nations in colonial times. Permanent Black. ISBN 978-81-7824-396-2.
- ↑
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"Jug-barta". 1920.
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"Indian Revolutionary Movement Abroad(1905-1921)". Sterling, New Delhi. 1979.
- ↑
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"Amrit Kaal, Ministry of Culture, Government of India". amritmahotsav.nic.in. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
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