In India, during the year 1908, a criminal case known as the "Emperor vs Aurobindo Ghosh and others" unfolded, colloquially referred to as the Alipore bomb case, the Muraripukur conspiracy, or the Manicktolla bomb conspiracy. This legal proceeding involved the trial of several Indian nationalists associated with the Anushilan Samiti in Calcutta. They were charged with the grave offence of "waging war against the British Raj. Held at the Alipore Sessions Court in Calcutta, the trial spanned from May 1908 to May 1909. The case emerged in the after of an assassination attempt on Presidency Magistrate Douglas Kingsford in Muzaffarpur by Bengali nationalists Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki in April 1908. The Bengal police recognized this incident as part of a larger pattern of attacks against the British Raj, including prior attempts to sabotage the train carrying Lieutenant-Governor Sir Andrew Fraser in December 1907.
A total of 49 individuals faced charges, while an extensive array of evidence was presented in court, including 206 witnesses, 400 documents, and over 5,000 exhibits. Notable figures such as Aurobindo, his brother Barin Ghosh, and 38 other Bengali nationalists affiliated with the Anushilan Samiti found themselves among the accused in the case. Most of the arrested individuals were apprehended from Barin Ghosh's residence at 36 Murarirupukur Road, located in the Manicktolla neighbourhood of Calcutta. Prior to the trial, they were detained at the Presidency Jail in Alipore.
Tragically, Narendranath Goswami, an accomplice-turned-witness for the prosecution, was shot and killed by two co-accused, Kanailal Dutta and Satyendranath Bose. This shocking incident resulted in the collapse of the case against Aurobindo. However, Barin Ghosh, along with several others, was convicted of the charges and faced varying prison sentences, ranging from life imprisonment to shorter terms behind bars.
Source: Md Ziauddin, Contributor for CCRT