Cellular
Jail- a Memorial to the Nation
Penal
Settlement
The idea of establishing a penal settlement in
these islands was germinated in the minds of the British Rulers in 1857, to
deal effectively with those who revolted against their paramount power during
India's First War of Independence. A Committee of experts consisting of
Dr.F.J.Mouat, Dr.G.R.Playfair and Lt.J.S.Heatcote visited the islands for a
survey on 8th Dec. 1857 and submitted a report to the Govt. of India on 15th
January1858 and the Union Jack was hoisted on 22nd January 1858 by Capt.H.man,
the Executive Engineer, who was deputed to take formal possession of the
islands.
First Batch
Thus the penal settlement started with clearing
operation on the small island of Chatham, only to be abandoned due to scarcity
of fresh water. The site was then shifted to Ross Island. The first batch of
200 convicts arrived in the island on 10th March 1858 abroad the frigate
'Semiraimis' under the overall charge of Dr.J.P.Walker who was assisted in his
task by a guard of 60 naval brigademen, two native doctors and a native
overseer. Subsequently, the prisoners were also transported by three more
ships- Roman Empire (171), Dalhousie (140) and Edward (130).
The task of cutting and clearing the jungle was given to the political
prisoners, most of whom belonged to wealthy and professional families -
Zamindars, Nawabs, Writers and poets, among others. The hardships and toil,
which they were put to, were severe and often quite unbearable.
The British Government always viewed ways of these freedom fighters with
fear and suspicion and had no intention to ever allow them to go back to the
mainland. The prisoners were initially kept in the open enclosures and were
paid one anna and nine pies per day, as a subsistence allowance. The allowance
was to cover their expenses for food, clothing and so on. Viper Island was
selected as the place where members of Chaingangs (the convicts being chained
together and confined at night) were put on the hardest labour. A jail and a gallows were constructed in the
Viper Island.
Though
the First War of Independence was quelled, the everlasting flame for achieving
freedom could not be put out. Freedom Fighters taking part in Wahabi Movement,
participants of Manipur Revolt, and a large number of Burmese from Tharawadda,
who had revolted against British rule were also transported to the penal
settlement in the Andaman.
As the
time passed and the settlement grew in size, the authorities found it difficult
to enforce strict discipline. Safe custody of freedom fighters became a great
problem. It was therefore decided to construct a jail.
Construction of the Cellular Jail
A two-member committee headed by Sir Charles
J.Lyall and Sir, A.S.Lethbridge visited Port Blair in 1890 and recommended the
construction of jail building in Port Blair. The construction of Cellular Jail
building started in 1893 by the settlement order No.423 dated 13th September
1893. It was completed in 1905-06.
Spread as seven spokes of a bicycle wheel, this unique three-storied
structure was the first its kinds in India. 663 cells in the jail were
specially built for solitary confinement of the prisoners. Later 30 additional
cells were constructed. In the center of the seven wings of the Cellular Jail
was built the Central tower. Each cell wing was sealed off by an iron grill
door.Thus a single guard on duty could supervise all the seven wings from his
vantage position. Another unique feature
of jail was the total absence of communication between prisoners in the
different wings since the front of one row of cells faced the back of the wings
in front.
Each cell measured 13 ½ ft. by 7 ft. and had an
iron grill door. A 3-ft. by 1 ft. ventilator, 9 ft. from the floor provided
some light and air. The cells in the jail were in a row. The verandah about 4
ft. wide which ran all along the front was sealed by iron railing fixed into
the arched pillars, that support the roof of the varandah. All the seven
corridors culminated at the Central Tower fixed by an iron gate to central
entrance and exit. The cells were secured with iron bolt and lock from outside
in a manner, which made impossible for the prisoners to unlock it, no matter
however they tried. Each of three storeys of the seven wings had wardens for
night watch. 21 wardens simultaneously manned the watch duty and vigil
throughout day night. Besides, sentries in the Central Tower also kept watch.
To
accelerate construction work, about 600 convicts from different stations like
Viper, Navy Bay, Phoenix Bay, Birchgunj and Dundus Point etc, were engaged.
About 20,000 cubic feet of local broken stone was used, while building
materials were also brought in from Burma. Some 30,00,000 bricks made Dundus
point and Navy Bay Brick Kilns were used to construct the jail.
A
two-storied building at left side near the entrance of the jail was also
constructed to be used as jail Hospital. On the plinth of this building now
stands Martyrs' Column. Near the compound wall at right of the main entrance
were the gallows, capable of hanging three persons simultaneously with a
separate door in the outer compound wall to carry out corpses. Adjacent to the
gallows were kitchens with Hindu and Muslim sections. A well was dug in the
yard between two sections for the supply of sweet water. At the main entrance
of the jail stands the two-storied administrative Block.The jail was manned by
the Jailor and Deputy Jailor, assisted by petty officials called Tendals,
Jamadar, warder and Petty Officers, who used to be incharge of the convicts.
Powers of Superintendent of Jail were vested in the Chief Commissioner, but
later these were delegated to the Senior Medical Officer.
Many
charismatic personalities were imprisoned in this Jail. Savarkar brothers,
Hotilal Verma, Babu Ram Hari, Pandit Permanand, Ladha Ram, Ullaskar Dutt,
Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Bhai Permanand, Indu Bhushan Roy, Prithvi Singh Azad,
Pulin Das, Trailokyanath Chakravarthy, Gurumukh Singh among others. The
catalogue is long and distinguished. Groups of revolutionaries involved in
Alipore Bomb case, Nasik Conspiracy case, Lahore Conspiracy case, Chittagoan
Armoury Raid case, Inter-provincial conspiracy case, Gaya Conspiracy case
etc. were brought to the Cellular Jail
with long terms of imprisonment. These men and women so convinced of their
nation's destiny and so willing to give the utmost of themselves found
themselves confronted with the cruel Jailor, David Barrie, an Irishman who
believed that it was his God-given destiny to suppress these enemies of Her
Majesty- the Queen with violence and vile abuse.
Horrors of Prison
The work quotas given to the Political Prisoners were frequently
impossible to complete within specified time and the dire punishment followed
for those who failed to meet them. Punishment was barbaric. Torture and
flogging were frequently resorted to on iron triangular frame, gunny bag
uniforms, unhygienic diet, bar fetters, crossbar fetters and neck ring shackle
and leg iron and chains were other deterrents for those who refused to submit
to the brutal wardens. The punishment
varied from handcuffs for a week and fetters for six months to solitary
confinement.
The
freedom fighters brought to the Cellular Jail rebelled against the tyranny of
David Barrie. Mass hunger strikes were resorted to especially between 1937 and
1938.Three person died. The last strike began in July 1937 continued for 45 day. The strike was
terminated on the intervention of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindra Nath Tagore. The
Government decided to close down the penal settlement and all the political
prisoners of Cellular Jail were repatriated to their respective states on
mainland India by January 1938.
Japanese occupation of the Islands(1942-45)
The Japanese occupied the Andaman and Nicobar Islands during World War
II from 23rd March 1942 to 7th October 1945. They put to death many hundreds of
people in the most barbaric way, whenever anyone was suspected of sympathizing
with the British. Many of the educated persons who were rounded up as suspected
spies were kept in the Cellular Jail and were later shot dead. Many were buried
in a common grave. The Humfraygunj Martyrs' Memorial today stands as a mute
witness to the inhuman treatment meted out to the citizens of Andamans. Netaji
Subhash Chandra Bose visited the islands as Head of the Provisional Government
of India on 29th December 1943. During his three days on the islands, he
visited the Cellular Jail and stopped the punishment of prisoners without
proper trial. Netaji hoisted tricolour flag of India at Andaman for the first
time and christened the Andaman and the Nicobar Islands as "Swaraj"
and "Shaheed" Dweep respectively.
Cellular Jail-a
National Memorial
After Independence in 1947, many of the erstwhile political prisoners
visited the islands. Their association - "Ex-Andaman Political Prisoner's
Fraternity Circle" took up the issue with the Government of India, who
accepting this proposal agreed to preserve it as National Memorial without
making any substantial change. The Memorial was dedicated to the nation by the
then Prime Minister of India on 11th February 1979.
A
Martyrs column has been raised in the premises of the Cellular Jail in memory
of all Freedom Fighters and martyrs .Today the entrance block of the National
Memorial houses, Photograph Gallery and Museum, which displays articles of
every day use by the prisoners and the authorities to maintain strict
discipline in the jail. The first floor of the building has an Art gallery and
a Library on Freedom Movement. Netaji Gallery and Old photographs Gallery has
also been set up in the premises of National Memorial. Two Swatantrya Jyots -eternal flame of
Freedom have been erected in the vicinity of Cellular Jail in
memory of all Freedom Fighters and martyrs.
An added
attraction in the National Memorial is the programme of sound and light (son-et-Lumiere). This spell-binding show is
centered around the wandering spirit of the Cellular Jail which takes the
spectators on a Tour-de-Galoe.
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