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{{short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2019}}
'''Jiban Ratan Dhar''' (April 1889 – 19 January 1963) was an Indian politician.<ref name=a/><ref name="Academy1990">{{cite book|author=Indian National Science Academy|title=Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P6UEAAAAIAAJ|year=1990}}</ref> He headed the municipality of [[Jessore (city)|Jessore]] during the [[Partition of India]], represented the [[Bangaon (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Bangaon constituency]] in the [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly]] twice and served as Minister for Jails and Health in the state government.

==Youth==
Dhar was the son of Prasanna Kumar Dhar, a lawyer.<ref name="Academy1990"/> His grandfather Prem Chand Dhar was a zamindar in Gabkhan, Jessore. His mother was the daughter of Kunja Bihari Ghosh of Fatehpur. Of his 8 siblings, 5 brothers and 3 sisters, Nil Ratan Dhar and Durga Ratan Dhar are particularly renowned.

Dhar went to school in [[Jessore (city)|Jessore]] and [[Calcutta]].<ref name="a" /> In 1913 he set up a students' mess at 110 College Street, [[Calcutta]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Science and Culture: A Journal of Natural and Cultural Sciences|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kjs9AQAAIAAJ|edition=1–11|volume=40|year=1974|publisher=Indian Science News Association.|page=143}}</ref> He obtained his [[Bachelor of Medicine]] degree in Calcutta in 1916.<ref name="a" /> He joined the [[Indian Army]] as a Commissioned Officer during [[World War I]] in 1916.<ref name="a" /><ref name="Nehru1988" /> On 18 September 1916 he was named Lieutenant in the [[Indian Medical Service]].<ref>''The London Gazette''. ''[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29993/page/2768/data.pdf 29 March 1917]''</ref> He remained an officer until 1926, reaching the rank of captain.<ref name="a" /><ref name="Nehru1988">{{cite book|author=Jawaharlal Nehru|title=Selected works of Jawaharlal Nehru|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_IdAAAAMAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund|page=85}}</ref>

==Independence struggle and Partition==
During the struggle for Indian independence, Dhar was jailed in 1930, 1941 and 1942.<ref name=a>{{cite book|title=Nalanda Year-book & Who's who in India: An Indian and International Annual of Current Statistics, Events and Personalities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bMwzAAAAMAAJ|year=1958|publisher=Nalanda Press|page=769}}</ref> He was a member of the [[All India Congress Committee]] 1930–1950.<ref name="Nehru1988"/> He served as president of the Jessore Congress District Committee for 15 years.<ref name=a/> Between 1946 and 1950 he served as chairman of the Jessore municipality.<ref name=a/> Dhar migrated to India in 1950 and settled in [[Bangaon]].<ref name=a/> Whilst Dhar had wished to stay in [[East Pakistan]], he felt obliged to leave as he was threatened with being arrested.<ref name="NehruFund1984">{{cite book|author1=Jawaharlal Nehru|author2=Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund|title=Selected works of Jawaharlal Nehru, second series|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gRBHAQAAIAAJ|date=2 August 1984|publisher=Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund|page=63|isbn=978-0-19-563309-2}}</ref>

==Minister==
Dhar won the [[Bangaon (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Bangaon constituency]] in the [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly]] in the [[1952 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election]], standing as an [[Indian National Congress]].<ref name="Committee">{{cite book|author=Communist Party of India (Marxist). West Bengal State Committee|title=Election results of West Bengal: statistics & analysis, 1952–1991|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CNeNAAAAMAAJ|publisher=The Committee|pages=424|isbn=9788176260282}}</ref> Dhar obtained 7,510 votes (37.34%), defeating the [[Communist Party of India]] candidate Ajit Kumar Ganguly.<ref name=vidhansabha1952>{{cite web| url = http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1951/STATISTICALREPORTS_51_WestBengal.pdf |title = General Elections, India, 1951, to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal | work= Constituency-wise Data|publisher= Election Commission | accessdate = 30 November 2016}}</ref> He served as Minister for Jails 1952–1957, first as Deputy Minister until 1956 and then as Cabinet Minister.<ref name=a/><ref name="Nehru1988"/> Dhar, himself a former prisoner, made frequent visits to the jails and advocated resocialization of prisoners.<ref name="Devakar1989">{{cite book|author=Devakar|title=Resocialisation of Prisoners: Crimonological Considerations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U6naAAAAMAAJ|year=1989|publisher=Criterion Publications|page=184}}</ref>

Dhar lost his seat in the assembly in the [[1957 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election]].<ref name=vidhansabha1957>{{cite web| url = http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1957/StatRep_WB_1957.pdf |title = General Elections, India, 1957, to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal | work= Constituency-wise Data|publisher= Election Commission | accessdate = 30 November 2016}}</ref> He obtained 35,809 votes (41.83%), but was defeated by Ajit Kumar Ganguly (CPI) by a margin of around 10,000 votes.<ref name=vidhansabha1957/> As of 1958 he served as Vice President of the [[West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee]].<ref name=a/> He was the president of the [[24 Parganas]] Congress Committee 1958–1960.<ref name="Nehru1988"/>

Dhar regained the Bangaon seat in the [[1962 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election]].<ref name="Committee"/> He obtained 33,220 votes (56.88%).<ref name=vidhansabha1962>{{cite web| url =http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1962/StatRep_WB_1962.pdf |title = General Elections, India, 1962, to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal | work= Constituency-wise Data|publisher= Election Commission | accessdate = 30 November 2016}}</ref> He was named Minister of Health in the West Bengal state government of [[Bidhan Chandra Roy]] in 1962.<ref name="Academy1990"/><ref name="Nehru1988"/>

Residence

Dhar built his home at 1/114 Naktala, Kolkata 700047, in the very first Government Scheme for resettlement of refugees from East Bengal after the 1950 Riots. He planned the Naktala Government Scheme with Dr. B.C. Roy. He lived there from 1950 till his death in 1963. The Jiban Ratan Dhar Memorial Park, in the vicinity of this family house, now commemorates his contributions to the early development of Ward 100 of Kolkata.

==Death==
Dhar died at the [[SSKM Hospital]] in Calcutta on 19 January 1963 after a long period of illness.<ref name=b>{{cite book|title=Asian Recorder|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=usgTAAAAIAAJ|volume=9|year=1963|page=5058}}</ref><ref name="Assembly1963">{{cite book|author=West Bengal (India). Legislature. Legislative Assembly|title=Assembly Proceedings; Official Report|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QK4eAQAAIAAJ|year=1963|page=9}}</ref> In 1964 the government of West Bengal renamed the Bangaon Subdivisional Hospital as the "Bangaon Dr. Jiban Ratan Dhar Subdivisional Hospital" in his memory.<ref>{{cite book|title=West Bengal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2_TnAAAAMAAJ|volume=12|year=1964|publisher=Director of Information|page=24}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhar, Jiban}}
[[Category:1889 births]]
[[Category:1963 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from West Bengal]]
[[Category:Members of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:People from Jessore District]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in Pakistan]]
[[Category:State cabinet ministers of West Bengal]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian medical doctors]]
[[Category:Medical doctors from Kolkata]]

Jiban Ratan Dhar - Revision history

->SdkbBot at 05:48, 5 January 2022