526.Motilal Kanunga (1913-1930), 526 A. Motilal Ghosh (1847-1922)

Motilal Kanunga was born in Chittagang. He participated in Chittagang Armoury Raid in 1930. After four days he was involved in straight fight with military in Jalalabad hills and died on the spot.

Motilal Ghosh was born in Amritabazar, Jessore (Prafulla Chandra Ray was born on August 2, 1861 in a village in the district of Jessore (subsequently of Khulna), now in Bangladesh. About his village Ray, in his autobiography, wrote: “My native village is Raruli, in the district of Jessore (at present Khulna). It is situated on the banks of the river Kapotakshi, which follows a meandering course for forty miles (only 16 miles as the crow flies) till it reaches Sagardari, the birth place of our great poet Madhusudan Datta. And higher up lies the village of Polua-Magura known of late years as Amritabazaar, the birth place of Sisir Kumar Ghosh, the veteran journalist.)

Newspapers launched in the post 1857 period were more vocal in criticizing the bureaucracy. Amrita Bazar Patrika launched in 1868 by Sisir Kumar Ghose and Motilal Ghose, Bengalee started by Girish Chandra
Newspapers launched in the post 1857 period were more vocal in criticizing the bureaucracy. Amrita Bazar Patrika launched in 1868 by Sisir Kumar Ghose and Motilal Ghose, Bengalee started by Girish Chandra Ghose in 1862
Motilal became the joint editor of the Amrita Bazar Patrika since  March 1887 and its  sole editor after the death of Mahatma Sisir Kumar Ghosh in January 1911.
In 1887 he exposed the vagaries of the postal department in his disposition before the Royal Commission on Public serveces in India. He also led the papers of the India Press on the Government to restore Pratap Singh to his gadi in Kashmir.  Under his editorship the Patrika became the scourge of high handed and despotic officials. Neither Lytton's vernacular press act of 1878 nor Lansdowne's official secret act of 1899 could curb its outspokenness against the ill-conceived policies of the British Government.   In 1890 Motilal strongly pleaded before the police commission to separate the police form the magistracy in the interests of better administration of justice in the moffusil. An  ardent advocate of the freedom of the Press he roundly condemned Chalmer's sedition law of 1898 and Curzon's Indian Official Secret Amendment act of 1904. In 1899 Motilal joined the agitation against the infamous Municipal act which officialised the Calcutta Municipality. A participant of the Allahabad Congress of 1888, Motilal also advocated the scheme for direct representation to the Legislative Assembly.He participated in the swadeshi movement and joined the extremists of the Congress in 1907.  A feerless journalist and a venerable patriot, Motilal helped arousing the political awareness of the people.