A. M. T. Jackson
Arthur Mason Tippetts Jackson (1866-1909) was a British officer in Indian Civil Services. He was a learned Indologist and a historian. He contributed to many papers on Indian history and culture and was popularly known as Pandit Jackson.[1][2] He was the Magistrate of Nasik[1] when he was murdered by Anant Kanhere for a political reason.
Nasik conspiracy case
Anant Laxman Kanhere, a 17-year-old student of Aurangabad, shot Jackson on the 21st of December, 1909 at a theater where a drama was to stage in his honor on the eve of his transfer.[1] It is said that he was shot dead as he had committed Ganesh Savarkar (an Indian freedom-fighter and elder brother of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar ) to trial. However, he was sympathetic towards Indian aspirations, was a scholar of Sanskrit and was popular as a man of learning and culture.[3]
The murder created a great deal of sensation in Nashik, Pune and Mumbai and it even created consternation in the ranks of Indian Nationalists, because of Jackson's reputation as a very sympathetic and popular district officer. Though many Indians could not understand why such a good man was murdered [3] the reason was there but was not pissible to prove .Jackson, a British officer, was aware of activities carried by Abhinav Bharat Society for Indian independence. He started mixing with people, unlike other British officers, and made an image of himself as a people friendly officer. He told people that he was a Vedic literate Brahmin in his previous life and that was why he felt affection towards the Indian people. He used to talk to people in Marathi and had knowledge of Sanskrit. In reality, his intentions were to make the people feel that they were good and safe in slavery and to suppress any anti-British activities.[citation needed] For example, one of the English officers who beat an Indian to death for merely touching his golf ball was cleared of his offence and transferred to another location; the Indian was declared dead due to Diarrhoea.[citation needed] In another instance, youths returning from Kalika Fair shouting slogans 'Vande Mataram' were charged with anti-national activities and were prosecuted.[citation needed] The lawyer, Babasaheb Khare, who helped pro bono the revolutionaries on whom the government had filed cases, was barred from practicing in the court, had his property was confiscated and he was arrested and sent to prison.[citation needed]The arrest of Babarao Savarkar for printing a 16-page book of songs of Kavi Govind and his prosecution was the last straw. Jackson was instrumental in getting Babarao arrested and prosecuted. A revolutionary group headed by Krishnaji Karve decided to eliminate Jackson in the first month of 1910.[citation needed] However, by the end of 1909, Jackson was promoted to the post of Commissioner of Mumbai. Krishnaji Karve, Vinayak Deshpande, and Anant Kanhere decided to eliminate Jackson before his transfer. People in Nashik arranged a farewell for Jackson at Vijayanand theatre in Nashik and staged a drama, 'Sharada', in his honor. Anant decided this was the time to execute their plan. He took responsibility for killing Jackson and decided to commit suicide by poison to avoid capture and save his other partners. The backup plan was that Vinayak was going to shoot Jackson if Anant's attempt failed. If both these failed, Karve was also carrying a weapon. On 21 December 1909, Jackson came to see the play named 'Sangeet Sharada'. Anant jumped in front of him and shot four bullets. Jackson was killed immediately. One of the Indian officers, Mr. Palshikar and formor DSP Mr. Marutrao Toradmal, attacked Anant with his baton. Other people around caught Anant and he was not able to shoot himself or get the poison.Anant Kanhere, then 18 years old, was prosecuted in Bombay court and hanged in the Thane prison on 19 April 1910, a mere four months after Jackson was killed. Along with Anant, Krishnaji Karve and Vinayak Deshpande were also hanged. None of the relatives of these three were present during the execution. Their bodies were burnt by the prison officers, rather than being released to the families, and the 'Asthi' (Ash left after the body is burnt) was also not handed over to their relatives but were thrown in the sea near Thane.
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