Kolkata's Suhrawardy Row Rekindles A Forgotten Story: When Nehru Stepped In Amid Tax Troubles

Last Updated:June 22, 2026, 15:24 IST

The letters dated December 12, 1948, show Nehru taking up the grievances of Suhrawardy, who complained of 'excessive & unfair income-tax assessments' running into nearly Rs 50 lakh

A heated argument is raging both online and offline over Kolkata’s Suhrawardy Avenue being renamed as Gopal Mukherjee Road. A closer look, however, reveals that the avenue was not named after Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, remembered by many in India for his controversial role during the Direct Action Day riots of 1946, but after his uncle, Hassan Shaheed Suhrawardy, a noted Bengali academic, art critic and institution-builder. In fact, Hassan Shaheed Suhrawardy had also stopped revolutionary Bina Das from shooting Governor Stanley Jackson on February 6, 1932, for which he received knighthood. 

Yet, in public memory, the distinction has often been blurred. The shared surname has meant that debates over the road’s name have repeatedly circled back to Huseyn Suhrawardy and the deep scars left by Partition-era violence in Bengal.

That renewed focus on Huseyn Suhrawardy’s legacy also throws up a lesser-known chapter from the early years of independent India. Correspondence published in The Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru reveals an intriguing episode in which then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru personally intervened in a major tax dispute involving Suhrawardy, one of the most polarising political figures of the Partition era.

The episode offers a rare glimpse into how the Indian government dealt with a man who remained a deeply contentious figure in the country, even as he sought to rebuild his political career across the border after Partition.

The letters dated December 12, 1948, show Nehru taking up the grievances of Suhrawardy, the former Premier of undivided Bengal, who had complained of what he described as excessive and unfair income-tax assessments running into nearly Rs 50 lakh for the assessment years 1945-46 and 1946-47.

Suhrawardy’s name remains deeply intertwined with one of the darkest chapters in Bengal’s history. As Premier during the infamous Direct Action Day of August 1946, he has long been accused by critics of failing to prevent the planned Hindu carnage followed by communal violence that engulfed Calcutta and left approximately 4,000–5,000 people dead.

Yet, barely a year after Independence and Partition, Nehru found himself personally examining Suhrawardy’s complaints against Indian tax authorities.

NEHRU WRITES TO FINANCE MINISTER

In a letter addressed to then finance minister John Matthai on December 12, 1948, Nehru forwarded Suhrawardy’s representations regarding the income-tax proceedings against him.

The prime minister noted that Suhrawardy believed the assessments were excessive and suggested that the matter deserved careful scrutiny. More significantly, Nehru warned that any appearance of “high-handed" treatment by government authorities could have wider political implications.

“He informs me that he has been assessed for an income-tax of 50 lakhs of rupees for two years, probably 1945-46 and 1946-47. He sent no return and some kind of an arbitrary assessment was made. The income-tax people were undoubtedly justified in making their own assessment in the circumstances. But 50 lakhs is a very big figure and requires looking into. Suhrawardy of course says that it has nothing to do with his income," Nehru wrote.

PARALLEL LETTER TO BC ROY

Nehru’s intervention did not stop with the finance ministry.

The same day, he wrote separately to then West Bengal chief minister Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, describing the tax assessment as “extraordinary" and seeking additional information regarding the case.

Calling him ‘My Dear Bidhan’, Nehru opened up his heart to him, “Do you know anything about the income-tax assessment of Shaheed Suhrawardy. I remember your mentioning it once to me. Shaheed has been telling me about it and his account was very extraordinary. I have been disturbed by it and I want to have an enquiry made. Whatever our views about Shaheed might be, specially about his past conduct, we cannot afford to do anything in a high-handed manner."

The twin letters suggest that Nehru was closely following developments and wanted inputs both from the Union government and the West Bengal administration before arriving at a view.

THE SUHRAWARDY QUESTION

Suhrawardy occupied a unique and contentious place in the subcontinent’s politics.

A senior Muslim League leader, he had been one of the strongest advocates of a united Bengal before Partition but remained a polarising figure because of his association with the events of Direct Action Day.

For many Hindus in Bengal, his name was inseparable from the communal carnage of 1946. Yet Nehru appears to have viewed the issue through a broader political lens, concerned that actions against such a high-profile Muslim politician could be interpreted in communal terms.

The letters also give a sneak peek into how political leadership balanced administration and a fragile communal equilibrium of a newly partitioned nation.

FROM INDIA TO PAKISTAN

The story acquired an even more remarkable dimension in the years that followed.

Suhrawardy eventually disposed of his interests in India and left for Pakistan. There, he re-entered politics and rose to the highest office, serving as the Prime Minister of Pakistan between 1956 and 1957.

He also came to be known as the ‘butcher of Calcutta’, with Stanley Wolpert describing Suhrawardy as one of the controversial figures of the carnage and Joya Chatterjee and other scholars too pinning the blame on him.

More than seven decades later, Nehru’s correspondence remains a revealing window into the dilemmas faced by India’s first prime minister as he navigated the turbulent aftermath of Independence and Partition.

About the Author

Anindya Banerjee

Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep ...Read More

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