Bhagat Singh
Seeking
revenge for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, Singh murdered John Saunders, a
British police officer. He eluded efforts by the police to capture him. Soon
after, together with Batukeshwar Dutt, he and an accomplice threw two bombs and
leaflets inside the Central Legislative Assembly. The two men were arrested, as
they had planned. Held in jail on a charge of murder, he gained widespread
national support when he undertook a 116-day fast demanding equal rights for European
prisoners, and those Indians imprisoned for what he believed were political
reasons. During this period, sufficient evidence was brought against him for a
conviction in the Saunders case after trial by Special Tribunal, and an appeal
to the Privy Council in England. He was convicted and subsequently hanged for
his participation in the murder at the age of 23. His legacy prompted youth in
India to continue fighting for independence and he remains an influence on some
young people in modern India, as well as the inspiration for several films. He
is commemorated with a range of memorials including a large bronze statue in
the Parliament of India.
Bhagat
Singh, a Sandhu Jat,[4] was born in 1907[a] to Kishan Singh and Vidyavati at
Chak No. 105, GB, Banga village, Jaranwala Tehsil in the Lyallpur district of
the Punjab Province of British India. His birth coincided with the release of
his father and two uncles, Ajit Singh and Swaran Singh, from jail.[5] His
family members were Sikhs; some had been active in Indian Independence
movements, others had served in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army. His ancestral
village was Khatkar Kalan, near the town of Banga in Nawanshahr district (now
renamed Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar) of the Punjab.[6]
His
family was politically active.[7] His grandfather, Arjun Singh followed Swami
Dayananda Saraswati's Hindu reformist movement, Arya Samaj, which had a
considerable influence on Bhagat.[6] His father and uncles were members of the
Ghadar Party, led by Kartar Singh Sarabha and Har Dayal. Ajit Singh was forced
into exile due to pending court cases against him, while Swaran Singh died at
home in Lahore in 1910 following his release from jail.[8][b]
Unlike
many Sikhs of his age, Singh did not attend the Khalsa High School in Lahore.
His grandfather did not approve of the school officials' loyalty to the British
government.[10] He was enrolled instead in the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic High
School, an Arya Samaji institution.[11]
In
1919, when he was twelve years old, Singh visited the site of the Jallianwala
Bagh massacre hours after thousands of unarmed people gathered at a public
meeting had been killed.[5] When he was fourteen years old, he was among those
in his village who welcomed protesters against the killing of a large number of
unarmed people at Gurudwara Nankana Sahib on 20 February 1921.[12] Singh became
disillusioned with Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence after he called off the
non-co-operation movement. Gandhi's decision followed the violent murders of
policemen by villagers who were reacting to police killing three villagers in
the 1922 Chauri Chaura incident. Singh joined the Young Revolutionary Movement
and began to advocate for the violent overthrow of the British Government in
India.
In
1923, Singh joined the National College in Lahore,[c] where he also
participated in extra-curricular activities like the dramatics society. In
1923, he won an essay competition set by the Punjab Hindi Sahitya Sammelan,
writing on the problems in the Punjab.[11] Inspired by the Young Italy movement
of Giuseppe Mazzini,[7] he founded the Indian nationalist youth organisation
Naujawan Bharat Sabha in March 1926.[15] He also joined the Hindustan
Republican Association,[16] which had prominent leaders, such as Chandrashekhar
Azad, Ram Prasad Bismil and Shahid Ashfaqallah Khan.[17] A year later, to avoid
an arranged marriage, Singh ran away to Cawnpore.[11] In a letter he left
behind, he said:
Criticism
Singh was criticised both
by his contemporaries, and by people after his death, for his violent and
revolutionary stance towards the British as well as his strong opposition to
the pacifist stance taken by Gandhi and the Indian
National Congress. The methods he used to convey his
message, such as shooting Saunders, and throwing non-lethal bombs, stood in
stark contrast to Gandhi's non-violent methodology.
Popularity
Subhas
Chandra Bose said that: "Bhagat Singh had become the symbol of the new
awakening among the youths." Nehru acknowledged that Bhagat Singh's
popuarity was leading to a new national awakening, saying: "He was a clean
fighter who faced his enemy in the open field ... he was like a spark that
became a flame in a short time and spread from one end of the country to the
other dispelling the prevailing darkness everywhere".[17] Four years after
Singh's hanging, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Sir Horace
Williamson, wrote: "His photograph was on sale in every city and township
and for a time rivaled in popularity even that of Mr. Gandhi himself".[17]
Trial
and Death
The British authority, while interrogating them, came to know about their involvement in the murder of J. P. Saunders. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were charged with the murder. Singh admitted to the murder and made statements against the British rule during the trial.
While in jail, Bhagat Singh found that the authorities were following a dual policy in treating the prisoners. The criminals of foreign origin were treated better than Indian political prisoners. As a protest, he along with some fellow prisoners declared to "go on hunger strike". The strike continued for over a month and finally the British had to accept before their conditions.
Bhagat Singh along with other revolutionaries found responsible for the Assembly bombing and murder of Saunders. On March 23, 1931, Bhagat Singh was hanged in Lahore with his fellow comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev. Singh was cremated at Hussainiwala on banks of Sutlej river.
The British authority, while interrogating them, came to know about their involvement in the murder of J. P. Saunders. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were charged with the murder. Singh admitted to the murder and made statements against the British rule during the trial.
While in jail, Bhagat Singh found that the authorities were following a dual policy in treating the prisoners. The criminals of foreign origin were treated better than Indian political prisoners. As a protest, he along with some fellow prisoners declared to "go on hunger strike". The strike continued for over a month and finally the British had to accept before their conditions.
Bhagat Singh along with other revolutionaries found responsible for the Assembly bombing and murder of Saunders. On March 23, 1931, Bhagat Singh was hanged in Lahore with his fellow comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev. Singh was cremated at Hussainiwala on banks of Sutlej river.