In 1897 the Chapekar brothers of Poona had assassinated two British officers who were responsible for brutally enforcing plague measures in the city. In 1904, V.D.Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Savarkar had established the Mitramela and Abhinav Bharat as secret societies in Maharashtra. In 1897 the Chapekar brothers of Poona had assassinated two British officers who were responsible for brutally enforcing plague measures in the city. In 1904, V.D.Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Savarkar had established the Mitramela and Abhinav Bharat as secret societies in Maharashtra. Between 1908 and 1918, it was estimated that 186 revolutionaries were either killed or imprisoned or deported by the colonial government.