Lokenath Bal, also known as Lokenath Baul was one of the prominent Indian revolutionaries and as well as an Indian freedom fighter. He was a member of the armed resistance movement, which was under the leadership of Master- Da Surya Sen. Lokenath Bal was amongst the foremost members of the Indian Republican Army that was a revolutionary group in Chittagong included various Indian revolutionaries and Indian freedom fighters who conducted and participated in the well known Chittagong Armoury Raid Case in the year 1930. Eventually he joined the Indian National Congress. After the country gained independence, Lokenath Bal worked as an administrative officer in the Calcutta Corporation until his death.
Early Life of Lokenath Bal
Lokenath Bal or Lokenath Baul was born on 8th March 1908 in Dhorla village in the district of Chittagong in Bengal Province under the British Government of India. Prankrishna Bal was the father of Lokenath Bal.
Revolutionary Activities of Lokenath Bal
The armoury raid in Chittagong was one of the most astounding and valiant revolutionary endeavours in the history of the Indian freedom struggle that was devised by the youths of the region. The attack was conducted on 18th April 1930 to raid the armoury of police and auxiliary forces from the Chittagong in Bengal province during the rule of the British Empire in India. The Indian Republican Army was led by Masterda Surya Sen and other prominent members included Kalpana Dutta, Pritilata Waddedar, Anand Gupta, Jiban Ghoshal, Ananta Singh, Tarakeswar Dastidar, Harigopal Bal (Tegra), Ardhendu Dastidar, Sasanka Datta, Naresh Roy, Ambika Chakrobarty, Subodh Roy, Nirmal Sen, Lokenath Bal and Ganesh Ghosh.
Lokenath Bal led a group of revolutionaries on 18 April 1930 and captured the Auxiliary Force of India (AFI) armoury. The AFI was a paid volunteer and part-time organisation within the British Indian Army. The units were completely formed up of Anglo-Indian and European personnel. Bal guided another gunfight on 22 April 1930 with the combined forces that comprised of the British police and the British Indian Army. Harigopal Bal, also known as Tegra, who was his younger brother, and other 11 revolutionaries died in the conflict. Lokenath Bal escaped and reached Chandernagore, which was a French territory. Later on 1st September 1930, he was arrested after a gunfight with the British police. One of his associates, Jiban Ghoshal, died in the gunfight.
On 1 March 1932, the renowned Indian revolutionary Lokenath Bal was sentenced to transporatation for life and sent to the Cellular Jail in Port Blair. He was released in the year 1946, he became a part of the Radical Democratic Party which was established by Manabendra Nath Roy. Later, Lokenath Bal joined the Indian National Congress.
Later Life of Lokenath Bal
Lokenath Bal was the second deputy commissioner of the Calcutta Corporation since 1 May 1952 and served till 19 July 1962. He was promoted to its first deputy commissioner on 20 July 1962 and remained in office till his death in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on 4 September 1964.
