Kanailal Niyogi

Kanailal Niyogi
Kanailal Niyogi
Born	1924 Mymensingh, Bengal, British India
Died	19 May 1961 (aged 37) Silchar, Cachar, Assam, India
Cause of death	Police firing[1]
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Railway official
Known for	Martyr in Bengali Language Movement of Barak Valley
Parent(s)	Dwijendralal Niyogi Shantikana Niyogi

Kanailal Niyogi (1924 - 19 May 1961) was an employee of the Indian Railways who took part in the Bengali Language Movement in the Barak Valley in 1961. On 19 May 1961, Niyogi became a martyr when he was shot dead by the paramilitary forces at the Tarapur railway station in Silchar.^[2]

Kanailal was born in a Bengali Hindu family in Khilda village of the erstwhile Mymensingh district to Dwijendralal and Monorama Niyogi in 1924. After his studies, he got a job in the Bengal Assam Railway. He was posted in Silchar, where he settled with his family. After the Partition of India, Niyogi moved to Silchar permanently.^[1]

As the Bengali Language Movement gained momentum in the Barak Valley, Niyogi was drawn into it. In spite of being a railway official, he took part in the Satyagraha on 19 May 1961.^[1] The primary agenda of the satyagrahis was a rail blockade at Tarapur railway station demanding the official status of Bengali in Assam. The rail blockade program passed off peacefully in the morning. However, in the afternoon, at around 2-35 pm the paramilitary personnel posted at the station started firing at the satyagrahis without any provocation. ^[1] Niyogi suffered bullet wounds and along with others he was taken to Silchar Civil Hospital where he was declared dead. He was survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters and his 70-year-old mother. ^[1]

• Kamala Bhattacharya
• Sachindra Chandra Pal
• Birendra Sutradhar
• Tarani Debnath