Gopal Chandra Mukhopadhyay
Gopal Chandra Mukhopadhyay | |
|---|---|
| গোপালচন্দ্র মুখোপাধ্যায় | |
 Gopal Patha | |
| Born | 1913 |
| Died | 2005 (aged 91–92) |
| Nationality |
|
| Other names | Gopal Patha |
| Occupation | Self Employed |
| Known for | Retaliating against Muslim League atrocities on Hindus during the Heinous Calcutta Killings. |
Gopal Chandra Mukhopadhyay (Bengali: গোপালচন্দ্র মুখোপাধ্যায়; 1913 – 2005), popularly known as Gopal Patha, was an Indian businessman known for raising Bharat Jatiya Bahini to protect the Hindu people from the Muslim League attacks during the infamous Direct Action Day in 1946.[1][2][3]
Early life and career[]
Gopal was born in a Bengali Hindu family of Malanga Lane in the Bowbazar of Kolkata. His family was originally from Jibannagar Upazila of Chuadanga District of East Bengal and had been settled in Calcutta since the 1890s[1] He was the nephew of revolutionary Anukul Chandra Mukhopadhyaya.[4] In childhood, he earned the nickname 'Patha' (goat in Bengali), because his family ran a meat shop.[2][5] When he grew up, he took responsibility of running the meat shop. As a part of his business, he had to regularly interact with Muslim traders.[6] According to historian Sandip Bandopadhyay, who interviewed Mukherjee, Patha "never bore a grudge against Muslims" but "was forced to turn violent when Muslim rioters approached central Kolkata".[6]
Role during Partition violence[]
In 1946, the Muslim League gave a call for establishing Pakistan through 'Direct Action' on 16 August. The Muslim League government of Bengal declared a public holiday on that day. The Kolkata District Muslim League published a detailed program for a grand rally at the Kolkata Maidan. An image of Mohammad Ali Jinnah with a sword in hand was published.
His Role During the Riots[]
On the morning of 16 August, incidents of stabbing and rioting started in the city. Gopal heard of trouble while he was on his way to shop. He rushed back to his locality where he saw Muslim League volunteers marching with long sticks in their hands. When the news of Hindus being killed reached him, he assembled his men and ordered them to retaliate, answer brutality with brutality. He clearly instructed that for one murder committed, they should commit ten murders.
The Bahini volunteers armed themselves with knives, swords, cleavers, sticks and rods. Gopal himself had two American-made 0.45 bore pistols along with some grenades. He had procured the pistols in post-War Kolkata from the American soldiers posted in the city. Some of the weapons used by his men were procured during the Quit India Movement.[6]
After a few days of rioting, the Muslim Leaguers, proposed peace. G.G.Ajmiri, leader of the student's wing of Muslim League along with Mujibur Rahman, a member of the Muslim National Guard, requested Gopal to stop the bloodshed
References[]
- ^ a b Das, Suranjan (1994). "The 'Goondas': Towards a Reconstruction of the Calcutta Underworld through Police Records". Economic and Political Weekly. 29 (44): 2879.
- ^ a b Whitehead, Andrew (1 July 1997). "Duty does not permit repentance - The Butchers of Calcutta". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
- ^ Sengupta, Debjani (2006). "A City Feeding on Itself: Testimonies and Histories of 'Direct Action' Day" (PDF). In Narula, Monica (ed.). Turbulence. Serai Reader. Vol. Volume 6. SARAI. pp. 288–295. OCLC 607413832.
{{cite book}}:|volume=has extra text (help) - ^ Bandyopadhyay, Sandip (2010). Itihasher Dike Fire Chhechallisher Danga ইতিহাসের দিকে ফিরে ছেচল্লিশের দাঙ্গা (in Bengali). Kolkata: Radical. p. 58. ISBN 978 - 81 85459-07-3.
- ^ Khan, Yasmin (2007). The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan. Yale University Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-300-12078-3. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ a b c "Celebrating the centenary of a "divisive" figure". The Hindu. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
External links[]
- Businesspeople from Kolkata
- 1913 births
- 2005 deaths