Revolutionary hero of Indian independence Bhagat Singh was born on September 27, 1907 in Lyallpur, West Punjab, India [now in Pakistan] to Kishan Singh and Vidyavati. He was born into a family that had a heritage of involvement in the freedom struggle. Bhagat did his schooling from Dayanand Anglo-Vedic High School and then went on to study at National College, Lahore.
In his early days, Bhagat Singh was a follower of the ideals of non-violence popularized by Mahatma Gandhi. Singh was a follower and admirer of Marxism and was inspired by the writings of Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky and Mikhail Bakunin.
All protest by Bhagat Singh against British rule in India:
•As a youth, he began to protest against British rule in India and soon fought for national independence. He also worked as a writer and editor in Amritsar for Punjabi and Urdu newspapers promulgating Marxist theories. He is credited with popularizing the slogan “Inquilab zindabad” (Long live the revolution).
•In March 1926, Naujawan founded the Bharat Sabha, a socialist organization to overthrow British rule in India. In 1927, he was arrested and accused of involvement in the Lahore bombing case that occurred in 1926. He was released after 5 weeks.
•In 1928, Bhagat Singh planned with others during a silent march against the Simon Commission to kill the police chief responsible for the death of Indian writer and politician Lala Lajpat Rai, one of the founders of the National College. Instead, in a case of mistaken identity, junior officer J.P. Saunders was killed and Bhagat Singh had to flee Lahore to escape the death penalty.
•In 1928, he formed the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), which later became the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA). Revolutionaries like Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan and Chandrashekhar Azad were also a part.
•On 12 December 1928, they carried out their plan at the District Police Headquarters in Lahore, but later realized that they had mistakenly killed Scott’s assistant John P Saunders instead of James Scott.
Bombing by Bhagat Singh into the British assembly
•Inspired by the French anarchist Auguste Vaillant, who bombed the Chamber of Deputies in 1893, Singh devised a plan to oppose the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill in the Central Legislature. On 8 April 1929, Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs into the assembly.
•They only intend to scare the British and not kill anyone, but still some members were injured. After the bombs were thrown, Singh and Dutt did not run away and stood there shouting ‘Inquilab Zindabad.’ They were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Prison life
•Singh was moved from Delhi jail to Mianwali, where he and his fellow prisoners protested discrimination between Indian and European prisoners, went on hunger strike and demanded better food, books, newspapers, etc. on the grounds that they were political prisoners, not criminals.
•In 1929, he and an associate threw a bomb at the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi to protest against the implementation of the Defense of India Act and then surrendered. He was hanged at the age of 23 for the murder of Saunders.
On 23 March 1931, Singh was executed along with Rajguru and Sukhdev. March 23 is observed as ‘Shaheed Diwas’ to pay tribute to the trio.
By: Vaishali Verma
