Khudiram threw a bomb at Muzaffarpur on April 30 at 8.30 pm.
Arindam Bhowmik
Khudiram and Prafulla's task was made more difficult by the fact that two of Kingsford's bodyguards had been retained since the day before they reached Muzaffarpur. For the first few days they toured Kingsford's house, court, and club. Kingsford hardly ever left the house as he had been warned. So there was no chance of getting him alone. Perhaps on April 28th they tried to kill Kingsford by going to court, but abandoned the attempt because too many innocent people would die there. The next day, April 29, they went to the ``Racket Court'' to observe Kingsford's movements. There they met a student named Abdul Karim. After waiting for a long time near the court, they went to watch a football game in a nearby field with Abdul Karim. When Abdul Karim asked them to play there, Prafulla played and the team for which Prafulla played won by 3 goals. Abdul Karim and others in the field requested them to come and play the next day as well. That day they returned to Dharamshala without seeing Kingsford. In the playground they said that they had come from Naihati to visit Muzaffarpur.
Seeing no chance, they decided that if there was no chance until the next afternoon, they would try to kill Kingsford on his way to the club in the evening. They noted that Kingsford traveled to the European Club in a horse-drawn Landaulet carriage every evening and returned around 8 p.m. The next day was the new moon, so it was also a good day for their work.
From the morning of Thursday 30th April they returned to Dharamshala without any opportunity. Before evening they again went to Kingsford's bungalow and stood separately on either side of the bungalow and started waiting. At 7.30 (half past seven) in the evening, two constables named Faizuddin and Tehsil Khan were guarding the road for Kingsford. Seeing them, they asked where they lived and what they were doing there. They replied in broken Hindi that they are students staying at Kishori Babu’s house and waiting for a friend.
The constables said that sahibs (officers) travel through this road, so they should leave quickly. They moved a little and started watching again. After some time, Khudiram comes and informs Prafulla that Kingsford has gone to the club by car, and they have to do the job anyway while returning from the club. Because many people in Muzaffarpur see them on the streets every day and even the boys in the playground know them. It is no longer safe for them to stay in Muzaffarpur.
Astraguru Hemchandra Kanungo (Das) carried the bomb in a tin box. Khudiram dropped the tin box and picked up the bomb. They approached the club and found Kingsford and his wife, drunkenly playing bridge with the wife and daughter of barrister Pringle Kennedy. Realizing that Kingsford would stay at the Club for some time, Prafulla came back from Dharamshala leaving Khudiram.
They were eagerly waiting; this opportunity should not be lost. In the darkness of the night they stood by the roadside under a tree near the eastern gate of Kingsford's bungalow. Meanwhile, at the end of the bridge game, Kennedy's wife and daughter got into the car before saying goodbye to Kingsford. Their car looked exactly like Kingsford's car. There was no way to recognize which was whose and to go home they had to go through the road in front of Kingsford's house. After their car drove off, Kingsford got into his own car.
Meanwhile, Khudiram and Prafulla, who were standing in the dark, heard the sound of a car coming. They decided that if the bomb somehow did not go off, they would get into the car with guns and kill Kingsford. Both of them took off their shoes, Khudiram had a bomb and two more guns, Prafulla had a gun. It was 8.30 (half past eight) at night, and they recognized the car as Kingsford's. As the car approached the tree in front of the east-gate, Khudiram ran and threw his hand bomb into the car.
The whole city shook with the loud sound of the bomb. Instantly the carriage burst into flames, the horse leaped up and fell unconscious on the ground, badly wounded. Prafulla and Khudiram ran from there towards Dharamshala, thinking that Kingsford was finished.
Mr. Wilson, who was in his bungalow, rushed to find the car still burning. Constable Tehsil Khan ran and informed the police station. It was announced in the town that a reward of 1,000 rupees would be given if they could be handed over. Every railway station has been informed by telegram to keep watch.
Meanwhile, Prafulla and Khudiram ran to Dharamshala, where a group of constables called them, but they kept running without stopping. After crossing the railway line, they took a separate road towards Samastipur.
