Cellular Jail Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The Cellular Jail of Andaman and Nicobar Island housed various individuals who were deemed as threats to British colonial rule in India. Among them were political prisoners, activists, revolutionaries, and individuals who participated in movements against British rule. Post the Swadeshi movement and Partition of Bengal, more and more extremist groups emerged increasing violence. Revolutionary fervor surged in regions of Maharashtra, Bengal, Punjab, and various other provinces. Participants of the conspiracy cases, bombing cases, train dacoity cases, murder cases and even journalists and revolutionaries who used nonviolent means were deported to the Andamans from time to time.

The British saw Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (Veer Savarkar) as a high threat and sentenced him to 50 years of life imprisonment. He was an inspiration to the other inmates and their pillar strength. Bhatukeshwar Dutt, was brought here because of the historic bombing of the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi alongside Bhagat Singh. Yogendra Shukla, Nani Gopal Mukherjee, Nand Kumar, Pulin Behari Das, and many more – all of them had their reasons but the goal was the same – Aazad Bharat. 

Imprisonment at Cellular Jail in Port Blair, also known as Kaalapani ki Saza, really was kaalapani ki saza despite the bright blue waters of Andaman sea for the tortures were endless, inhumane and extreme. It was nothing lesser than terrifying and brutal. It was Hell on Earth. Various forms of torture, including strenuous manual labor, inadequate food, lack of medical assistance, verbal abuse, and physical beatings, were commonplace practices perpetrated by the jail authorities against the prisoners. The inmates were assigned to a range of tasks such as cane and bamboo work, operating coconut and mustard oil mills, husking coconuts, drying copra, crafting hooka shells, coir and sisal pounding, rope, carpet, and net weaving, towel making, mat production from coir and sisal hemp, mustard seed cleaning, blanket manufacturing, gardening, hill cutting, drain cleaning, swamp filling, and other miscellaneous chores. Despite many prisoners coming from educated Bhadralok families, they were often subjected to the harshest tasks like coir pounding, rope making, and oil grinding on the Kolhu.

Perhaps the desperation to be free was so strong and urgent that survival in such unimaginable conditions and the will to keep going was fuelled by every colonial move of the British. To even think of the life they lived is frightening. Even to this day, when you walk down the corridors of the cellular jail in Port Blair, when you stand in the cells where once the inmates cried themselves to the hope of seeing an end to this tortuous life, you feel the energy surrounding you