Rodda Arms Case
The Rodda Arms Case is the story of the Greatest Daylight Robbery. It is a story of strength, courage, freedom, and the victory of India over the British. It is a story that has been hidden for the past multiple decades, and most importantly, it is a story that needs to be told to India and the world.
There are multiple reasons why I chose this topic for my report. I heard this incredible story for the first time when I was eight or nine years old and was immediately inspired by it.
I want to be able to spread this story among students from across the world, as it is unheard of. Additionally, it will focus on the multiple freedom fighters whose heroism is never considered while talking about the movement for Indian Independence. This paper will allow me to spread a story about an event and people who truly display the valor in India’s ancestors.
Artificial Cannons by the doorway of where the Rodda and Company Godown was
Revolutionaries stole ammunitions from the Rodda and Company office godown, and used the stolen Mauser pistols to fight the British. The stolen mauser pistol was a very strong and effective gun produced in Germany.
To conduct the heist, the team of revolutionaries conducted meetings in hidden locations and one of them joined Rodda and Company as an Indian spy. On the day of the robbery, four people watched over the personnel guarding the office, and the others stole away the seventh bullock cart full of ammunitions and delivered the first six to the Rodda and Company Godown.
The arms were stolen in board daylight, in a busy area of Kolkata without any equipment, only a few revolutionaries and a bullock cart.
1. Out of the three sources of information that I examined in Step 2 of my project, the first was an old Magazine Article. It focused on the story of my maternal great – great – great grandfather, and shared details on his involvement with the Rodda Arms Case, and the Indian freedom struggle in general.
While we are all blessed to be a part of a country that has given birth to immortal nationalists and freedom fighters, I count myself among the truly fortunate few who are enormously blessed to be a part of the legacy of one such patriot. My great, great, great grandfather Shri Prabhu Dayal Himatsingka dedicated his life to the service of his country as a freedom fighter , social reformer, parliamentarian and philanthropist.
He was born on the 16th of August, 1889, in Dumka Bihar, and moved to Kolkata in 1911. He became an attorney in 1921, and joined Manuel Agarwal & Co. as a partner. He was an extremely prominent freedom fighter, and was closely associated with Pandit Nehru,Subhash Chandra Bose, and Sardar Vallabhai Patel. In addition to his huge involvement in the Rodda Arms Case, he was a part of the Quit Bengal Movement (1916), Quit India Movement (1942), and Dandi March (1930).
He was one of the signatories of the Indian Constitution, a three times elected member of the Bengal and Assam Legislative Assemblies, and was elected to the Rajya Sabha. He was an elected member of the Lok Sabha from Bihar.
He created countless charitable homes, hospitals and schools. People used to line up outside his home from 4 am onwards in the morning, and would come make requests from him. He would speak to each one of them and fulfill all their needs to the best of his ability.
One morning, a gentleman came up to him and told him that he wanted to build a school for girls in Kolkata. He did not want just money because he did not have the time to build a school from scratch, and construction would take many years. Without thinking for more than a second, my great – great – great grandfather gave that gentleman his own home. My great great great grandfather left his home within a week of giving it and it was converted into a girls school and hostel. The school still stands and runs today in Kolkata, India.
About Shri Prabhudayal Himatsingka
He collected funds required for the running of the Satyagraha movement in India. Additionally, he participated in most, if not all, the non-violence (ahimsa) movements and protests lead by Gandhi ji to free the country.
The extent of his involvement in the Rodda Arms Case is highlighted in the article. He rented out a house where the Indian revolutionaries hid the stolen ammunitions. From there, the arms were
distributed to revolutionaries across the country who were involved in different revolts and struggles against the British. He was a part of the Rodda Arms Movement from its conceivement, through its planning, and until its execution. He drove the bullock cart with the ammunitions
away from the godown to the hidden location which he had rented. He remained silent about his contribution to India’s freedom struggle, and never asked for any recognition. He truly was one of India’s quiet heroes who dedicated most of his life to the freedom struggle.
2.The second source I analyzed was an article from The Telegraph, India.
The article was written by Amitabha Gupta and published in 2022. The author refers to the heist as a ‘brazen Bengal robbery,’ in the heading of the text. The robbery was brazen, and the author recognised that and informed the readers of the boldness of the movement, before they read the article itself.
The movement was bold – it was conducted in broad daylight, in a busy area of Kolkata, at a time when the British had complete control over the country. The revolutionaries stole the ammunitions away, and British authorities did not realize that for three days.
The article had an image of a memorial built to honor the freedom fighters who participated in the Rodda Arms Heist. It stands in a very busy area of Kolkata, India (The city where the robbery took place). However, no one knows what is, where it is, and who it is to commemorate.
Hundreds of thousands of people walk past it everyday, but no one looks at it to try and understand why it stands there. The memorial has been forgotten and ignored just as the movement and its heroes have been.
Ganesh Chandra Avenue in Central Kolkata
The memorial is in this area of the city. It is an extremely busy area with many stores and lots of people crossing it on a daily basis. So many years after the revolution, people forgot to honor the efforts of the Rodda Arms Case revolutionaries and ignore the presence of the memorial. Most people are unaware of its existence.
Fifty mauser guns and 46,000 cartridges were stolen. These ammunitions were circulated in the country and given to revolutionaries participating in different movements against the British. These pistols and cartridges were used against the British in many struggles for freedom.
Indians were in need of firearms to fight the British, and the Rodda Arms movement gave them those arms. The movement required a lot of planning, and to ensure availability of accurate information, one of the Indian revolutionaries took a job in the Rodda Arms Company.
When the shipment of arms arrived, he informed the other members of the team and they came in. They took control of the bullock carts that had the ammunitions in them. The first six carts were delivered to the Rodda Arms Company godown. The seventh cart filled with ammunitions was taken to a secret location in Kolkata from where they were distributed to different revolutionaries.
3. The third text that I studied was an article published on the 9th of February, 2019.
This article mentioned the forgotten nature of the event. Most Indians do not know who participated in the movement, what the movement was, and the impact that it had.
Indians did not have the arms they needed to be able to successfully fight off the British, and were not being able to souce them. The Rodda Arms Case revolutionaries came together for this movement to get India the arms it needed and to display their strength to the British Administration.
Srish Mitra took a job at Rodda Arms and Company. He remained alert and aware so that he could inform the other revolutionaries when the arms arrived so that they could take action. He convinced the company to hire him by claiming that a job at a European Company will be more prospective. He worked hard and received promotions. He made multiple trips to the godown from the customs office, learning the route and process perfectly.
Worldwide tensions were rising, and to secure themselves, the British Administration placed an order of 50 Mauser pistols and 46,000 mauser cartridges. These ammunitions were produced in Germany. The day the munitions arrived, Srish Mitra spoke with the others and they decided to carry out the robbery.
In those days, a shipment of ammunitions came with fake pieces as well. The fake arms were removed from the boxes and all the real ones were put in a box on the seventh bullock cart. The seventh cart was taken to a hidden location, and distributed to different revolutionaries from there.
Memorial to celebrate the Rodda Arms Heist Revolutionaries in Kolkata
On the 26th of August, 1914, Indian revolutionaries (Including my maternal great great grandfather), stole British arms and ammunitions. The robbery took place in broad daylight, in a busy area in the city of Kolkata. Approximately fifty thousand pistols and forty six thousand cartridges were stolen, and the British authorities were unable to realize that for three days. The ammunitions stolen were used in many revolts against the British Government.
Story of how the movement took place :
Shrish Mitra, an Indian agent, took a job at the Rodda and Company, and over time became a trusted employee. When the consignment of ammunitions arrived he informed the other revolutionaries of this new development. The group of Indian freedom fighters decided to steal the ammunitions.
The day the consignment arrived, the revolutionaries arrived and took control of the carts with the ammunitions. Some drove the carts and others walked by the side of the bullock cart. There were seven bullock carts. Six of them were taken to the Rodda and Company godown while the seventh was driven away by the Indians, with the ammunitions, to a hidden location. From there the arms were distributed to different revolutionaries to be used in different revolts.
No revolutionary was killed, and no violence took place. However, this movement played a huge role in the Indian freedom struggle. It is estimated that the stolen pistols were distributed to approximately 9 revolutionary groups, and then used in different movements against the British
Anatomy of a 100 year old arms heist By : Amitabha Gupta
