Barrackpore, also spelled Barrackpur, or Barakpur, also called Chanak, city, southeastern state of West Bengal, northeastern India. It is located just east of the River Hugli (Hooghly) and is part of the urban agglomeration of Kolkata (Calcutta), 24 km north of Kolkata. The name Barrackpore probably derives from the fact that troops had been stationed there - in barracks - since 1772. In 1824, sepoy (Indian) troops stationed in Barrackpore refused to participate in a mission during the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826). In response, most of them were imprisoned or killed by the British Army, an incident that became known as the Barrackpore Mutiny. It was also in Barrackpore that the mutiny of Mangal Pandey, a sepoy private, in March 1857 was considered the first event in a growing series of violent acts that culminated two months later in the outbreak of the Indian mutiny at Meerut (now in Uttar Pradesh).
The city was a municipality in 1869, but the area was narrowed by the separation of Titagarh Municipality in 1895 and Panihati Municipality in 1900. Major industries include jute and rice milling, sawmill, and stocking manufacturing. Barrackpore has a racecourse, a cargo airport, a government agricultural institute and several colleges affiliated with the University of Calcutta. Barrackpore Park contains the former residence of the British Viceroy of India. The city is also the location of Central Inland Capture Fisheries Research Institute, the oldest organization of its kind in the country. Pop. (2001) 144,391; (2011) 152,783.
