Terrorist movement was another method of the extremists to oust the British from India. Two reasons were mainly responsible for the growth of terrorism in the Indian war of independence.
In spite of vigorous nation-wide movement the partition of Bengal was not repealed. Secondly the British Government took full advantage of the division in the Congress organisation and adopted a policy of thorough repression in order to supress the extremists. These two facts had an immediate effect on the mind of the impatient young men who were in rebellious mood. The revolutionaries wanted quick results.
They were frustrated by the inaction of the Government and their indifference to the prayers and petitions of the moderates. They wanted to put an end to the Western imperialism by western methods of violence. The revolutionaries formed secret societies, recruited the young and inspired them with higher values of bold action and sacrifice for the cause of the country.
They trained them to use and manufacture arms like revolver and bombs. By killing the cruel European officials they wanted to demoralize the official class, paralyse the administration and uproot the emenies of freedom. They wanted to strike terror in the minds of the British people in India.
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Many secret societies were set upon in Bengal and Maharastra. The ‘Anusilan Samiti,’ ‘Saraswati Samiti,’ ‘Jugantar Group’ and ‘Abhinab Bharat Society’ of Bengal and ‘Mitra Mela’ of Maharastra, were some of these societies. Anusilan Samiti was organised by Pramathnath Mitra and Mitramela and Abhinab Bharat Society were organised by Savarkar brothers- V.D. Savarkar and Ganesh Savarkar. Prafulla Chaki and Khudiram Bose of Bengal attempted to murder Mr. Kingsford, the judge of Muzaffarpur who had awarded severe punishment to some young men for trivial offences. But by mistake their bomb hit the carriage of Mr. Kennedy, killing two ladies. Prafulla Chaki committed suicide and Khudiram Bose was hanged.