98-year-old freedom fighter gets special tribute as Centre honours freedom fighters; Read

One of the last rare living freedom fighters in Kolkata and a contributor of the Quit India Movement, 98-year-old Kartick Chandra Dutta, received an honour from the government of India on the occasion of the 75th Independence Day on Saturday. 

Veteran freedom fighter honoured at Kolkata residence

The government of India will be felicitating freedom fighters on August 15. However, the veteran was honoured at his Kolkata residence by representatives of the government due to health-related concerns.

A doctor of homoeopathy, Dutta said that police had caught him many a time and that he was not in jail for long. "It was a difficult time when I was caught by the police, but I was never in prison for much time." 

The freedom fighter added that he has gone to Delhi multiple times on the occasion of 15th August but failed to go this time.

Son recalls father's heroics

Speaking about Dutta's participation as a freedom fighter for India, son, Dibakar said, "Since the beginning, he wanted to do something for the country. He had a group of like-minded friends as well. He had raised slogans during the Quit India Movement and was arrested and put in prison."

"My father was among the few freedom fighters who were invited in Delhi to get honoured by the Government of India on the occasion of Independence day but it could not happen because of COVID related matters. The government instead sent their people here. He has been honoured in Delhi by the President and Prime Minister nearly five or six times," Dibakar said while displaying several photographs of his father being felicitated by the Prime Ministers and Presidents of India.

He used to sneak into his own house as police chased him: Wife, Manjula Dutta

Dutta's wife, Manjula Dutta said that she wasn't aware of her husband being a freedom fighter. "It was my mother-in-law who told me about it. It was tough when he was put behind bars," she added. 

"He used to sneak into his own house in Bangladesh as the police chased him. His mother used to give him money to buy food and he used to escape with that. He also used to have a pistol. When we married, I would pull his leg, whether he would shoot me if I annoyed him," recollected Manjula Dutta.

Dutta recollected being sent to jail several times but not forgetting the freedom struggle despite such perils. The 98-year-old still cherishes the times he was invited to the president's house to be honoured on Independence day and expressed the wish that he gets to visit Delhi soon again in the near future on the same occasion. 

(With Inputs from ANI)