Aditya Chandra Bhakta was born on 17 April 1905, to Madan Mohan Bhakta and Punya Laxmi Bhakta in the Madaripur subdivision of Faridpur district, which was part of undivided Bengal (now in Bangladesh). Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, he joined the freedom struggle at a young age, alongside other notable freedom fighters like Sushil Dhara, Kshitish Sen and Tarun Kanti Ghosh.
He served his first term of imprisonment, spending six months in Madaripur sub-jail in 1920 for participating in the non-cooperation movement. In 1930, during the Civil Disobedience Movement, he was imprisoned again for eight months in the same jail. His third and final imprisonment occurred in 1942 when he was incarcerated in Faridpur jail for participating in the Quit India Movement. He was also accused of being involved in the assassination of a sub-inspector of the British police force. Although initially sentenced to three years, he was released after 13 months due to the mounting pressure on the British government.
After independence, he dedicated himself to philanthropic activities. He established a school called 'Purba Kalagachia Primary School' in his hometown of Faridpur, which has since been upgraded to a high school and continues to serve the community. In 1955, he relocated to Duttapukur and later to Habra in the 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
In recognition of his contributions, he was honoured with a Tamra Patra by the Government of India in 1972 during the silver jubilee celebrations of independence.
Aditya Chandra Bhakta passed away on 6 December 1992.
Tamra Patra awarded to Aditya Chandra Bhakta by the Government of India in 1972
Source: Saikat Chanda, Contributor for CCRT