Interview with Gopal Mukherjee [sound recording]
Gopal Mukherjee interviewed about Direct Action Day/Great Calcutta Killings; criminal gangs; Mahatma Gandhi
| Order number: |
OA3, India: A People Partitioned, DVDs & CDs, Box 4 |
|---|---|
| Date(s) of creation: |
25 April 1997 |
| Level: |
Item |
| Format: | Archive |
| Main author: | Mukherjee; Gopal (1913-2005); butcher and goonda, known as Gopal Patha |
| Other authors: | Whitehead; Andrew (fl 1974-2014); journalist and historian |
| URL: |
https://digital.soas.ac.uk/oa3/all |
| Order number: |
OA3, India: A People Partitioned, DVDs & CDs, Box 4 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Summary: |
Gopal Mukherjee interviewed about Direct Action Day/Great Calcutta Killings; criminal gangs; Mahatma Gandhi |
|
| Main author: | Mukherjee; Gopal (1913-2005); butcher and goonda, known as Gopal Patha | |
| Other authors: | Whitehead; Andrew (fl 1974-2014); journalist and historian | |
| Extent: |
01:00:08 |
|
| Admin history: | Gopal Mukherjee [Mukhopadhyay] was born in a Bengali Hindu family in Calcutta [Kolkata] in 1913, known as 'Patha' [Goat], so named after his family's meat shop. He was a butcher and also allegedly a 'goonda' [a thug in Calcutta underworld]. He was a supporter of Subhas Chandra Bose, and his family had links to the Indian revolutionary movement against British rule. He claimed to have links to Congress leader Bidhan Chandra Roy, second Chief Minister of West Bengal, India. Gopal Mukherjee was a key figure in the communal violence in Calcutta around Direct Action Day/Great Calcutta Killings and its aftermath in 1946-1947. He was an organiser of a Hindu group during the unrest in the city. In 1947 he refused to surrender his weapons to Mahatma Gandhi. In the following years he was alleged to have been involved in organised crime and dacoity [banditry]. He later ran a charity, the National Relief Centre for Destitutes. | Gopal Mukherjee [Mukhopadhyay] was born in a Bengali Hindu family in Calcutta [Kolkata] in 1913, known as 'Patha' [Goat], so named after his family's meat shop. He was a butcher and also allegedly a 'goonda' [a thug in Calcutta underworld]. He was a supporter of Subhas Chandra Bose, and his family had links to the Indian revolutionary movement against British rule. He claimed to have links to Congress leader Bidhan Chandra Roy, second Chief Minister of West Bengal, India. Gopal Mukherjee was a key figure in the comm ... View more |
| Custodial history: | Interview by Andrew Whitehead at office at National Relief Centre, Calcutta [Kolkata], India | |
| Access status: |
Open |
|
| Access conditions: |
MP3 audio file can be accessed on DVD-R in Special Collections Reading Room, SOAS Library. Users must bring their own headphones and computer to consult material. |
|
| Copyright: | Copyright held by Andrew Whitehead | |
| User restrictions: | The recording is available for consultation without restriction, and short extracts (up to 200 words) can be published with an appropriate acknowledgement. Any publication of longer extracts or use of interviews for broadcast requires the prior written permission of Andrew Whitehead. | |
| Language: | Bengali English |
|
| Originals: |
MP3 audio datafile digitised from original recording on cassette tape. Original: OA3 Tape 74, Side B and OA3 Tape 75, Side A + B |
|
| Copies: | Digital version of sound recording is available via SOAS Digital Collections. | |
| Related material: | Partial transcript and notes compiled by Andrew Whitehead available at SOAS Library. Reference: OA3/02/01 | |
| Publications: |
Research for broadcast of the BBC World Service radio series 'India: A People Partitioned' (1997) |
|
| Format: | Archive |