The Anushilan Samiti, an early revolutionary society of Bengal, was established in Calcutta on 24 March 1902 by:

The Anushilan Samiti was established in Calcutta on 24 March 1902 by Pramathanath Mitra, a barrister, along with Satish Chandra Basu and others.

About the Anushilan Samiti:

• "Anushilan" means "practice" or "culture"; the name was inspired by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's idea of "anushilan" (the all-round cultivation of body and mind).
• It began as a physical culture (fitness) society, where young men practised exercise, wrestling, lathi play and sword fighting.
• It soon became a secret revolutionary society that aimed to overthrow British rule by force.
• Sri Aurobindo and his brother Barindra Kumar Ghosh were associated with it in its early years.

The Dacca Anushilan Samiti:

In 1906, a branch was set up in Dacca by Pulin Behari Das, which became very powerful, with hundreds of branches in eastern Bengal.

Activities:

• The Samiti's members carried out political robberies (dacoities) to collect funds, and assassinations of British officials and Indian informers.
• The British banned the Samiti in 1908, but it continued as a secret society.
• It had links with revolutionaries in other parts of India.

Later history:

• In the 1920s and 1930s, Anushilan members took part in various revolutionary actions.
• Many of its members were imprisoned, and some later became Marxists.

About Pramathanath Mitra:

• He was a barrister of the Calcutta High Court.
• He believed in building physical strength and character among young people for national service.
• He died in 1910.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Barindra Kumar Ghosh led the Yugantar group.
• ✗Surya Sen led the Chittagong armoury raid.
• ✗Jatindranath Mukherjee was a later revolutionary leader.