Shaheed Prafulla Chandra Chaki

(11 december 1888- 1 April 1908 )

Prafulla Chandra Chaki was born on December 11, 1888 in the Bihar village of Bagra District now in Bangladesh. He was a freedom fighter and a revolutionary. The British Government wanted him for his revolutionary activities. Being surrounded by the police, he shot himself in the head on 1st April 1908.

He was expelled from Rangpur Zilla School when studying in Class 9 for taking part in a students' demonstration that violated the Carlisle Circular of the government of East Bengal and Assam. Then he joined Rangpur National School where he came in contact with revolutionaries like Jitendranarayan Roy, Abinash Chakravarti, Ishan Chandra Chakravarti and became a believer and practitioner of the revolutionary philosophies.

Barin Ghosh brought Prafulla to Kolkata and he was enlisted in Jugantar party. His first assignment was to kill Sir Joseph Bampfylde Fuller (1854-1935), the first Lieutenant Governor of the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam. However, the plan did not materialize.

Next, Prafulla, along with Khudiram Bose was chosen for the murdering of Kingsford, the Calcutta Presidency Magistrate, and later ,magistrate of Muzaffarpur, Bihar

Khudiram and Prafulla watched the usual movements of Kingsford and prepared a plan to kill him. In the evening of April 30, 1908, the duo waited in front of the gate of European Club for the carriage of Kingsford to come. When a vehicle came out of the gate, they threw bombs and blew up the carriage. However, the vehicle was not carrying Kingsford, rather two British ladies - Mrs. and Miss Kennedy were killed. The revolutionaries fled.

Prafulla and Khudiram decided for separate routes for escape. Prafulla took disguise and boarded train to Kolkata. Nandalal Banerjee, a Sub-Inspector of Police, suspected Prafulla at the Samastipur Railway station. A commotion and a short chase ensued. Prafulla was soon cornered and he took his own life by shooting at the head.Khudiram was later arrested and was hanged to death.


( Constable N.L. Banerjee put the severed head in a bag and took it to Muzzafarpur. He presented it in the court for the purpose of evidence. Thereafter the revolutionaries killed Bannerjee in reply to avarice. )