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Surya Sen Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 15, 2026 • 3 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth22 March 1894

Age39 (at time of death)

BirthplaceNoapara village, Raozan, Chittagong (now in Bangladesh)

ProfessionIndian Freedom Fighter and Politician

NationalityBritish Indian

Marital statusMarried

SpousePoshpo Kontola Dutta

FamilyFather - Rajmoni Sen; Mother - Shila Bala Devi; had five siblings

Surya Sen Biography

Surya Kumar Sen, commonly known as Surya Sen or Masterda, was a Bengali revolutionary leader best known for planning and leading the 1930 Chittagong armour

Early life and background

Surya Kumar Sen was born on 22 March 1894 in Noapara village, Raozan thana, in the Chittagong district of Bengal Presidency (now in Bangladesh). He came from a Baidya family. His parents were Rajmoni Sen, who worked as a teacher, and Shila Bala Devi. Orphaned at an early age along with his siblings, he and his brothers and sisters were raised by an uncle named Gouromoni.

Sen attended Dayamoy Primary School and Noapara Higher English School before going on to study at Berhampore College (now Krishnath College) in Murshidabad, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts. While at college he was inspired by a teacher to join the Indian independence movement and became involved with the Anushilan Samity, a revolutionary organisation.

Career

After completing his studies, Sen worked as a teacher at a national school in Nandan Kanan, Chittagong, where he taught mathematics and earned popularity under the affectionate title Master Da. He later left teaching and became active in politics, serving as president of the Chittagong branch of the Indian National Congress in 1918.

Sen participated in the Non-cooperation movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi and was arrested for his activities; he spent two years in prison from 1926 to 1928. On returning to Chittagong he continued organising young activists and in 1928 established a physical training centre to build the fitness and discipline of recruits through swimming, rowing, climbing, stick-play, knife-throwing and boxing.

In 1930 Sen helped form a local revolutionary group called the Indian Republican Army (Chittagong branch) with comrades including Nirmal Sen and Ambika Chakraborty. He planned and led the operation known as the Chittagong armoury raid on 18 April 1930. The operation involved disabling telephone, telegraph and rail links to isolate the city, dividing participants into small units to seize the armoury, and hoisting the Indian flag after the action. The raiders secured weapons but were unable to capture ammunition. The British response was swift and severe: clashes at Jalalabad Hills and elsewhere resulted in mass arrests and fatalities among revolutionaries and police.

After the raid Sen and many of his followers were declared absconders. He adopted various disguises and took work at different jobs—farm labourer, house worker and other roles—to evade capture. The British finally arrested him on 16 February 1933 after a tip about his location. He was tried and sentenced to death; he was executed by hanging on 12 January 1934 in Chittagong. Sen spent his final days writing to comrades, urging remembrance of 18 April 1930 and the sacrifices made in the struggle for independence.

Public profile

Surya Sen was remembered by contemporaries and later historians as an unassuming, soft-spoken organiser with strong personal courage and humane instincts. He is credited with recruiting and training several young revolutionaries from Chittagong, among them Ananta Singh, Ganesh Ghosh and Lokenath Bal.

His life and the Chittagong episode have been portrayed in film and commemorated in other ways. A 1949 Bengali film dramatised the raid, and later feature films revisited the events: Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010) and Chittagong (2012) drew on the 1930 action and its participants. In 1978 India and Bangladesh issued a postage stamp bearing his image to mark the raid’s legacy. In Kolkata a metro station carries the name Masterda Surjo Sen in his memory, and the University of Chittagong has a residential hall named Masterda Surya Sen Hall. The site where he was hanged has been recognised as a historic monument by the government of Bangladesh.

Latest updates

The Indian Republican Army organisation that Sen helped lead faded after his arrest and execution, but the Chittagong raid of 18 April 1930 remains a notable episode in the history of anti-colonial resistance in eastern India. His methods of organising, training and mobilisation continue to be cited in historical accounts of the independence movement.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Surya Sen, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Chattagram Astragar Lunthan

A 1949 Bengali film picturised on the revolutionary activities of Surya Sen and his group.

1949
Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey

A 2010 feature film that portrayed the life struggles of Surya Sen against the British Raj.

2010
Chittagong

A 2012 film based on the 1930 Chittagong armoury raid.

2012
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Career Highlights

  1. Led the Chittagong armoury raid on 18 April 1930
  2. Founder and organiser of the Indian Republican Army (Chittagong branch)
  3. Served as president of the Chittagong branch of the Indian National Congress in 1918
  4. Established a physical training centre in 1928 to prepare young revolutionaries
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Surya Sen born?

Surya Sen was born on 22 March 1894.

What is Surya Sen known for?

Surya Sen is known for indian Freedom Fighter and Politician.

What is Surya Sen’s marital status?

Surya Sen's marital status is listed as Married.

Who is Surya Sen married to?

Surya Sen is publicly listed as married to Poshpo Kontola Dutta.