Friday, May 27 2005 21:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Raigunj (WB): Saroj Basu, freedom fighter and 'Tamrapatra' awardee died in Raigung today (May 27, 2005), family sources said.

Basu (91) is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

Born in 1915 in Dinajpur district of erstwhile East Bengal, now Bangladesh, Basu had joined 'Anushilan Samity', an organisation of freedom fighters banned by the then British Government.

On October 28, 1933, he led the Hili Mail dacoity to loot money to procure arms for the freedom fighters and killed a Britisher, for which he was ordered death sentence by a local court.

However, his appeals to the Preview Committee of the Calcutta High Court changed his punishment to that of life imprisonment at the Andamans Cellular Jail, in which he was kept till 1942.

He was rearrested the very next day after his release in connection with another case related to the freedom struggle and served in jail till 1946.

After his release he was involved with the Forward Bloc and took up teaching here.

Basu was among the first 10 who were given the 'Tamrapatra', a recognition for the freedom fighters by the Morarjee Desai Government in 1978.

He was among the two living freedom fighters who were felicitated by former President K R Narayanan at the Andaman Cellular Jail on December 30, 1997, the 50th year of the country's independence.