The spot where Khudiram Bose was hanged and (above) Muzaffarpur city superintendent of police Manoj Kumar garlands the martyr’s picture at Khudiram Bose Central Jail in Muzaffarpur on Thursday. Pictures by Prakash Kumar

Muzaffarpur, Aug. 11: Guests from Bengal, district officials, members of social organisations, political leaders and masses today paid rich tributes to Khudiram Bose on his 103rd death anniversary at the jail where he was incarcerated by the Britons.

The homage started at 4.02am at Khudiram Bose Central Jail — the time Bose was hanged to death on August 11, 1908. Tirhut divisional commissioner S.M. Raju, deputy inspector-general of police B.S. Meena and senior superintendent of police Rajesh Kumar were the first to salute and pay tributes to Bose at the cell where he was confined. The homage continued on to the spot where he was hanged.

The scene was calm inside the jail, as residents and guests from Bose’s village — Habibpur of West Midnapore district in Bengal — lined up outside the jail in serpentine queues, waiting for their turn to garland Bose’s bust and pay tributes to him inside the jail.

The visitors, who poured in to pay obeisance, were given access to the cell where Bose was confined and the spot where he was hanged.

Before people arrived to pay tributes to Bose on his death anniversary, which is being commemorated as Martyr’s Day inside the central jail, deputy development commissioner of Muzaffarpur Vinod Singh Gunjiyal supervised the preparations for the commemoration with jail superintendent Vishwanath Prasad. Gunjiyal officiated as the district magistrate in the absence of Santosh Kumar Mall today.

Gunjiyal led members of social and political organisations around the jail premises, as they garlanded the photograph of Bose and paid floral tributes at the spot he was hung with moistened eyes. The prisoners at the jail also played their part for the martyr, as they were assigned the task to help the visitors in garlanding Bose’s bust and photograph. They also sprayed perfume they prepared during their incarceration in the open and outside the spot where Bose was hanged at the age of 18.

Bose was among the first revolutionaries to plant bombs near police stations to target government officials. In an attempt to assassinate Kingsford, the Calcutta Presidency magistrate, and later Muzaffarpur magistrate, Bose and fellow revolutionary Prafulla Chaki blew up a carriage occupied by two English ladies. Oblivious of the fact that they had killed two women, Chaki and Bose fled the spot. Later, Chaki committed suicide in Samastipur and Bose was arrested.

All eyes were set on the visitors from Bose’s village — Prakash Haldar, Madhuri Haldar, Ashok Dutt Khan, Seema Dutt Khan, Diya and Adhir Arhari — who paid their respects in turns. But, for the second consecutive year, representatives from the Bengal government failed to turn up at the jail to pay homage to their martyr.

Prakash Haldar, 30, from Habibpur told The Telegraph that he had sent an email to the Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, to bring the issue to her notice. “The Bengal government in league with the Bihar government should commemorate this occasion to boost the spirit of nationalism and patriotism, as well as remember the life of martyrs like Bose and Chaki,” Haldar said.

He also demanded to name Muzaffarpur Junction station after Khudiram Bose and sought immediate intervention of Banerjee.

Members of different organisations, including Bihar Bengali Samaj headed by secretary Rana Karmakar and Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki Memorial Committee led by convener Satish Patel, paid their tributes to Bose and observed two-minute silence on the jail premises. The visitors met Raju and Gunjiyal to express gratitude for commemorating the event with state honours.

Later, Raju told The Telegraph that an action plan was being prepared to preserve the spot on the riverbank of Budhi Gandak where Bose was cremated. It would be developed as a historic spot. Raju directed Gunjiyal and sub-divisional officer (east) Rajesh Bharti to make an on-the-spot inspection and prepare a plan that would be sent to the urban development department.

Members of Bihar Bengali Samaj and Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki Memorial Committee, other social activists and members of political parties, including Socialist Unity Centre of India, later paid tributes to Bose’s bust at the memorial site in the Companybagh area.