Harigopal Bal or Harigopal Baul, also known as Tegra, was one of the prominent Indian freedom fighters. He was a Bengali revolutionary who took part in several revolutionary actions against the British dominion in the country. Bal was also a member of the armed resistance movement that was led by Master Da Surya Sen. Surya Sen, also known as Surjya Sen, was an important Bengali freedom fighter and the main architect of the anti-British freedom movement that was based in Chittagong. Surya Sen was hanged by the British authorities on 12 January 1934 after his arrest in February 1933. Harigopal Bal or Tegra 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.
Early Life of Harigopal Bal
Harigopal Bal or Harigopal Baul was born in the village of Kanungopara in the district of Chittagong, Bengal, which is presently in Bangladesh. Pran Krishna Bal was his father. He was the younger brother of another renowned revolutionary named Lokenath Bal.
Revolutionary Activities of Harigopal Bal
Harigopal Bal joined the Indian revolutionaries and became a member of the Indian Republican Army. He participated in the Chittagong Armoury Raid on April 18, 1930. 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.
After the failure of the raid, Harigopal Bal escaped. After 4 days he became injured in a gunfight while combating against the combined forces that comprised of the British police and the British Indian Army on Jalalabad Hill, near Chittagong on April 22, 1930. One of his associates, Jiban Ghoshal, also died in the gunfight.