Nirmal Jiban Ghosh was born on January 5, 1916, in the village of Dhamasin in the Hooghly district of Bengal, which was part of British India. He was raised in a family that was deeply connected to the Indian independence movement, and his upbringing was marked by an environment of activism and resistance against colonial rule.

His father, Jamini Jibon Ghosh, supported nationalist ideals, and his siblings were all involved in political dissent against the British Raj. One of his brothers, Prof. Binoy Jibon Ghosh, was dismissed from his job due to his involvement with the Swadeshi movement. Another brother, Naba Jibon Ghosh, died by suicide while imprisoned by British authorities. His elder brother, Jyoti Jibon Ghosh, also served time in prison for his political activities.

Nirmal was a bright student and enrolled in the Intermediate Arts program at Midnapore College. It was there that he became involved with the Bengal Volunteers, a revolutionary group formed by Indian nationalists who sought to end British colonial rule through direct action, including targeted assassinations of British officials.

In the early 1930s, the Midnapore district of Bengal became a focal point of revolutionary activities against British colonial rule. The Bengal Volunteers, a militant nationalist organization, had already claimed responsibility for the assassinations of two British District Magistrates, James Peddy and Robert Douglas. These killings sent shockwaves through the colonial administration and made the position of District Magistrate in Midnapore one of the most dangerous jobs in British India.

To reassert control and show the Crown's resilience, the British government posted Bernard E. J. Burge to Midnapore. Burge was a former British soldier known for his ruthlessness, discipline, and unapologetically hardline views. His arrival was perceived by the Bengal Volunteers as a new symbol of oppressive colonial authority, and plans were immediately made to eliminate him.

Among the group of young nationalists tasked with the assassination were Nirmal Jiban Ghosh, Anath Bondhu Panja, and Mrigendra Dutta. The operation was meticulously planned. The group decided that the murder would take place during the Bradley-Birt football tournament, a public sporting event where Burge was expected to attend and participate.

On the evening of September 2, 1933, as Burge was playing in the match at the Midnapore police grounds, Ghosh and his co-conspirators approached. In full view of the crowd, and under the pretense of regular movement among spectators, the young revolutionaries pulled out concealed firearms and opened fire. Burge was shot multiple times at point-blank range and collapsed on the field. Chaos ensued as panicked spectators fled the scene and police officers rushed toward the attackers.

Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Police, who had been playing in the match themselves, quickly intervened. In the scuffle, Anath Bondhu Panja was shot dead by officers, and Mrigendra Dutta was critically wounded. Dutta later died from his injuries the same day. Nirmal Jiban Ghosh was apprehended and survived the confrontation, only to face trial under the Bengal Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1925, which allowed for the use of Special Tribunals to fast-track cases involving political violence.

The colonial government launched an aggressive crackdown on all members of the Bengal Volunteers connected to the plot. A total of 17 individuals were arrested and interrogated. Among the arrested were noted revolutionaries such as Ramkrishna Roy, Brajakishore Chakraborty, Kamakhya Charan Ghosh, Sonatan Roy, Sukumar Sen Gupta, and others. Many were eventually charged with conspiracy to murder, attempted murder, and waging war against the Crown.

Nirmal Jiban Ghosh was tried along with several others. Despite legal defense and public sympathy in some nationalist circles, the Special Tribunal found him guilty of the assassination of District Magistrate Bernard Burge. The sentence was death by hanging.

The executions began swiftly. Brajakishore Chakraborty was hanged on October 25, 1934. The next day, on October 26, 1934, Nirmal Jiban Ghosh was taken to the gallows at Medinipur Central Jail and hanged. He was just 18 years old.