Sushil Kumar Dhara in the Civil Disobedience Movement

Abstract

On 12 March 1930, Gandhiji set out on his historic march to challenge the Salt Law, and on 6 April, he formally violated it by producing salt. This act inspired a nationwide movement, as people across India began manufacturing salt in open defiance of colonial regulations. In the Midnapore district, significant efforts to break the Salt Laws were organised at the Narghat Salt Centre in the Tamluk subdivision and the Pichaboni Salt Centre in the Contai subdivision. However, the violation of the Salt Act at the Nortghat Salt Centre notably reflected the astute leadership and strategic thinking of Sushil Kumar Dhara, a Prominent Congress activist from the Mahishadal Police Station area of the Tamluk Sub-division. Consequently, numerous volunteers from outside the district, including 24 Parganas, Kolkata, Dhaka, Chittagong, Faridpur, Barisal, and Mymensingh, joined this salt centre. It was through their collective efforts that the Norghat Salt Centre emerged as the 'Dandi of the Tamluk Sub-division'. During this period, despite the arrest of leaders and widespread police brutality, the movement to defy the Salt Laws did not come to a halt. On the other hand, the entire district of Midnapore, including Tamluk, began to join the Civil Disobedience Movement. Notably, after arresting Sushil Kumar Dhara, the British government initially detained him in the Tamluk Sub-Jail and subsequently in the Midnapore Central Jail. Afterwards, he was taken to Rajshahi Central Jail. Yet, despite this, it was not possible to suppress Sushil Kumar Dhara. He was not merely a political prisoner while in jail. During this period, various facets of his humanitarian service came to the fore. Along with that, he also received an erudite education. All these lessons proved particularly useful during the Quit India Movement of 1942. He even became the Sarbadhinayak (Commander-in-Chief) of the National Army of the Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar. Notably, during the Civil Disobedience Movement, leaders from the Tamluk and Contai Sub-divisions, including Sushil Kumar Dhara, remained unwavering in their commitment to the ideals of non-violent Satyagraha. Nevertheless, the British government continued to carry out repressive measures during this period, including the imprisonment of countless men and women, the confiscation of their property and the imposition of fines on a Wholesale scale. Notably, even after employing every conceivable weapon of severe repression and torture, the British government failed to subdue the residents of Tamluk and indeed of Midnapore. Ultimately, in May 1934, the Congress Working Committee unconditionally withdrew the Civil Disobedience Movement. On the other hand, a firm resolve to carry on the movement against the mighty British government became deeply ingrained in every fibre of Sushil Kuamr Dhara. This is reflected in the Quit India Movement and in the conduct of the Tamralipta National Government's national army. For this reason, based on local information, a comprehensive discussion and portrayal of Sushil Kuma Dhara is essential.The paper highlights the role of Sushil Kumar Dhara in the civil disobedience movement and the salt satyagraha, which was successful only in the Tamluk region of Midnapore.