Nasik Conspiracy

Nasik conspiracy was a 1909's revolutionary activity done by Abhinav Bharat Society of Vinayak Savarkar. In 1909 Anant Kanhere a student from Aurangabad assassinated Nasik's collector Arthur Jakson in a theatre at Nasik.

Background

In 1900s Vinayak Savarkar founded a secret society Abhinav Bharat in Nasik. He was inspired to form it from Italy's revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini and his secret society Young Italy. In 1909 Arthur Tipat Jackson was collector of Nasik district and was residing in Nasik city. The incidents caused revolutionary to conspiracie to assassinate Collector Jackson was : An engineer of public construction department of Nasik district Williams beaten up a poor farmer until his death. When people complained about him to collector Jackson, he gave hollow assurances but did nothing. Instead of taking any strong action, British government promoted Williams and transferred to Thana (now Thane). Jackson banned kirtan program of Miraj- Sangli's Tambe shastri in Nasik. Vinayak Savarkar 's elder brother Babarao Savarkar was arrested on charges of sedition, when he raised slogan "Vande Matram" and sang patriotic poems. In 1909 Babarao sentenced of transportation to notorious Cellular Jail on Andaman island. His advocate Khare was declared insane, sent out of the district and banned to return.

Assassination

Revolutionary Anant Kanhere who assassinated Nasik's collector A.M.T. Jackson in 1909

Vinayak Savarkar founder of secret society Abhinav Bharat, alleged key person behind the conspiracy

Williams got promoted and transferred to Thana. Nasik's citizens demand justice but Jackson only gave hollow assurances and all these things angered youth. During that time Krishnaji Karve was leader of a revolutionary group in the city, after many meetings the group decided to kill Jakson. His group's members was Vinayak Deshpande, Vaman Joshi, Shankar Soman, Ganu Vaidya etc. Vaidya suggested Anant Kanhere's name for the job. That time 18 years old Kanhere was studying in Aurangabad's 'Chitrakala mahavidyalaya'. Vaidya met Kanhere in Aurangabad where Kanhere expressed desire to kill collecter Jackson. Krishnaji Karve and Vinayak Deshpande summoned Kanhere to Nasik, gave him gun firing training in the wild of Peth road, he also took an oath. Due to Kanhere got injured the plan of assassination was postponed and he returned to Aurangabad, but when the news spread in the city that Jackson is soon living the city due to transfer, conspirators decided to assassinate him and called back Kanhere. On Tuesday, 21 December 1909, Jackson was coming to see a Marathi play at the Vijayananad Natyamandir theatre, famous artist Bal Gandharva was also performing in the play. As soon as Collector Jackson entered in the theter, at 8:15 Anant Kanhere fired multiple bullets on Jackson. Kanhere was arrested on the spot. Later Krishnaji Gopal Karve and Vinayak Deshpande also arrested. On the Jackson's assassination day many got arrested.

Arrests

After the assassination police arrested Vinayak Savarkar and others for conspiring and instigating an armed rebellion against the government. The case was ran in Bombay court and officially known as Nasik Conspiracy Case 1910. In the court trial at Bombay, Police alleged Savarkar as brain, moving spirit and inspiration behind the conspiracy and assassination of Jackson, according to them he was planning it from number of years. Bombay court sentenced him for life-imprisonment, transportation to notorious Cellular Jail at Andaman, that time the punishment was known as "Kala Pani" (transl. Black water); Savarkar's elder brother Babarao Savarkar also received same punishment and other were received varying degrees of imprisonments. ICS officer Jakson's assassination created sensation in Poona, Nasik and Bombay, the case and subsequently imprisonment made Savarkar famous. Anant and other 2 got death panelty.