Remembering Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee: A Fearless Voice of National Unity

Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, one of India’s most distinguished patriots, educationists, and unwavering champions of national unity, was recently commemorated for his extraordinary contributions to the nation, particularly to Assam. A special program in his honour was held on 31 July 2025 in Guwahati, jointly organised by the Regional Centre of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, the Directorate of Museums, and the Department of Indigenous and Tribal Faith and Culture, Assam.

Presiding over the event, Dr Nilima Bhagabati, retired professor of Gauhati University and vice-president of the Akhil Bharatiya Sikshan Mandal, paid rich tributes to Mookerjee. Describing him as a fearless son of Bharat, she said he was a man of rare courage who spoke the truth regardless of the consequences. Dr Bhagabati profoundly stated that Mookerjee laid down his life for the unity and integrity of the nation. His firm stance against the idea of “two constitutions and two flags in one country”, in reference to Jammu & Kashmir, sparked a national awakening, she added, emphasizing the need for the youth to study the sacrifices of India’s freedom fighters.

Mookerjee’s academic brilliance saw him become the youngest Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University at just 33, in 1934. He began his political journey in 1929 as a member of the Indian National Congress and later served as a minister in both provincial and central governments. Born into a Bengali family on 6 July 1901, the son of the eminent jurist Ashutosh Mookerjee, Syama Prasad began his career as an advocate at the Calcutta High Court before becoming a barrister.

Following consultations with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its then-chief Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, Mookerjee left the Hindu Mahasabha to found the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951, the ideological precursor to today’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was married to Sudha Devi, and the couple had two sons and two daughters.

Renowned Assamese cultural figure Pranjal Saikia, attending the event as chief guest, lauded Mookerjee’s unwavering support for Assam and the Assamese people during a crucial juncture in history. The ceremonial lamp was lit before Mookerjee’s portrait by dignitaries including IGNCA-RC Director Dr Sapam Ranabir Singh.

Researcher Mita Nath Bora recalled Mookerjee’s critical role in preventing Assam from being absorbed into East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the 1947 Partition. She also cited Gandhian leader Pushpalata Das and others who acknowledged that while leaders like Gopinath Bordoloi played a key role in defending Assam, it was Mookerjee’s early strategic intervention that laid the groundwork.

Ms Bora also noted Mookerjee’s support for recognising Asomiya (Assamese) as the official language of Assam. During his tenure as Vice-Chancellor, he appointed Dr Birinchi Kumar Baruah as the first Assamese academic to teach the language at Calcutta University.

Dr Mookerjee resigned from Jawaharlal Nehru’s interim cabinet in protest of the 1950 Nehru-Liaquat Pact, which included provisions for special status and a separate flag for Jammu & Kashmir. Opposing the permit system to enter the state, he marched toward the frontier and was subsequently arrested. While in custody in Srinagar, he died under mysterious circumstances on 23 June 1953. No postmortem was conducted, and the authorities refused to allow his remains to be taken to Delhi; instead, his body was flown directly to Calcutta. His mother, Jogmaya Devi, along with others, demanded an inquiry into his unexplained death, but Prime Minister Nehru did not support it.

Though Mookerjee opposed the Partition, once it became inevitable, he strongly advocated for retaining Hindu and Sikh-majority regions of Bengal and Punjab within India. His determined efforts ensured that the western part of Bengal (now West Bengal)did not fall into the hands of the Muslim League, thereby preventing it from becoming part of present-day Bangladesh. Had the entire Bengal region gone to East Pakistan, India’s northeastern states would have been left completely isolated, with no physical connection even through the narrow Siliguri Corridor.

ALSO READ: Chinese Dam in Tibet: Its Aftereffects on India and Bangladesh