Cellular Jail is part of the darkest chapter in Indian history. The prison was designed by the British Raj to torture freedom fighters both mentally and physically, while ostracizing them from Indian society. Today the complex serves as a national memorial, paying tribute to the sacrifice made by the many brave freedom fighters imprisoned here and across the nation.
Cellular Jail is situated on Port Blair in South Andaman Island, one of the 572 islands forming Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Cellular Jail is also known as Kala Pani, which means “Black Water” in Hindi. The prison was built here due to the sea surrounding the prison complex, which not only made escape difficult, but also took advantage of a taboo in Indian culture against the leaving of Indian soil. “Kali Pani ki Saza”, or “The Punishment of Black Water” represents the loss of one’s cultural heritage and social respectability after crossing the seas to any foreign land. Since arriving at Cellular Jail threatened those convicted with a loss of caste and social exclusion, the prison was aptly known as Kala Pani.
Construction of the prison started in 1896 and ended in 1906, and is estimated to have cost over Rs. 5 lakhs. The purpose of the prison was to keep imprisoned the largest number of freedom fighters for long periods of time at the lowest cost. The name “Cellular Jail” comes from the internal design of the prison which featured isolation and solitary confinement. The original building is a massive three-storied structure which had seven wings, at the center of which is a watchtower. There were no dormitories; rather there was a total of 696 individual cells each 14.8ft by 8.9ft which prevented communication between the prisoners.
The prison was infamous for the punishment system used by the British Raj. Torture and death by starvation was commonplace during the active years of the prison. Prisoner Chattar Singh was tortured for three years by being suspended in an iron suit. Those imprisoned here were forced to slavery in chain lines, which the son of prisoner Sushil Dasgupta described as soul-destroying. Due to the length of imprisonment most prisoners faced, many prisoners even committed suicide to escape a lifetime of torture. To protest the inhumane conditions they had to face, many went on hunger strikes. Notably, Mahavir Singh and many other prisoners drowned after being force-fed milk which went into their lungs. His body was just dumped into the sea.
In March 1868, 238 prisoners attempted to escape. All of them were caught in April, 87 of whom were hanged as punishment.
During World War II in March 1942, Japanese troops took control of the island and the jail, and British troops were detained as prisoners in the jail. On 7th October 1945, the British resumed control of the island and the prison, following the surrender of the island to Brigadier J.A Salomon of the 116th Indian Infantry Brigade.
One of the few survivors of Cellular Jail was Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, an Indian politician, activist, and writer. Involved in a conspiracy under IPC 121-A against the King emperor, Savarkar was convicted and sentenced to 50 years imprisonment at Cellular Jail after being arrested in the United Kingdom.
Operation of the Cellular Jail ended with the intervention of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. The government decided to repatriate the political prisoners in 1937-38, and by 1939, the Cellular Jail was empty.
Prime Minister Moraji Desai declared Cellular Jail a National Monument on 11th February 1979. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Savarkar on 30th December 2018, visiting the cell where he stayed at and paying his respects.
Currently, tours of the remaining wards are available. And apart from guided tours, a sound and light show is also run in the evening narrating and showcasing the experiences of the prisoners. Even today, an Eternal Flame is lit, dedicated to the heroes who laid down their lives for India.
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