अमर शहीद अशफ़ाक़उल्ला ख़ाँ: व्यक्तित्व और कृतित्व (काकोरी के अमर शहीद का जीवन व रचनाएँ)

with another ( 58 )
66. The evidence of Mr. Mukherji, Deputy Superintendent
Activities of Bakshi at Benares. C. I. D. Benares, shows that Bakshi first
came to the notice of the police in 1923 when
he invited the public to attend a meeting of
what later became the Central Health Union. The public notices
were issued in Bakshi's name. Mr. Mukherji attended the meet-
ing and noticed that Bakshi took a leading part in it. He was
secretary of the Union and R. N. Lahiri and M. N. Gupta were
members. Exhibit P. 448 (a) which Bakshi admits is in his hand-
writing, is the record of the proceedings of the meeting of the 10
managing committee, dated 7th June, 1923. Narindra Deb Bhatta-
charya (P. W. 65) who was acquainted with the Bakshi family
O. P. 90. and lived next door to them, was a member of the Union but
his evidence does not add much to our information about it.
There can be no doubt that it started purely as an athletic club
and professed to eschew politics. In his statement to the magis-
trate Bakshi said that he became secretary of the Union in the
middle of 1923 and continued as such until the middle of 1924, and
the evidence of Narindra Deb is to the same effect. In this court,
after examining the proceedings (Ex. P. 448), he corrected this 20
statement pointing out that after being secretary he became assis-
tant secretary on the 13th November, 1923. About a month later,
he says he left Benares for Lucknow and then ceased to be a
member of the Union. He denies being a member during the
time that R. N. Lahiri and M. N. Gupta were members. To some
extent this appears to be correct. An examination of the proceed-
ings Ex. P 448 shows that Bakshi was elected secretary of the Union,
then known as the Aryan Athletic Association, in March 1923.
He also originally signed the proceedings as president. On the
21st June, 1923, Bakshi was again elected secretary. In July the 30
name of the association was changed to the Central Health Union.
At a meeting of the managing committee on 9th August 1923,
R. N. Lahiri was admitted as a member. On the 13th November
1923 Bakshi was elected assistant secretary. When he resigned
this post and severed his connection with the Union does not appear
from the proceedings, but it was not until the 21st July, 1925, when
he was again in Benares that M. N. Gupta was admitted as a
member. At a meeting dated 25th July 1925, we find that R. N.
Lahiri was elected assistant secretary in his absence, but the
proceedings of the 31st August show that he did not accept this 40
post.
The record of the proceedings about this time indicate that
O. P. 91. though Bakshi had not resumed membership he was still taking
an interest in the Union. Both he and M. N. Gupta, however,
appear to have been in disfavour, for some reason unexplained,
with those who were at that time in control. At a meeting of the
4th September, 1925, the following resolutions were passed.
(1) that no outsiders be allowed into the field without the