Ghosh was born in the Dhaka District of British India, to a lower-middle-class family. Passing 10th standard from his village school at the age of 13 he joined the Anushilan Samity to participate in the independence movement of India. He was attracted to Marxist ideologies at a very early age. In 1942 he joined the Quit India movement. He was later arrested and incarcerated for three years. There he thoroughly studied Marxism-Leninism. Later along with some colleagues such as Nihar Mukherjee he organised SUCI(C) in 1948. He died on his 53rd birthday in 1976.