88 years ago, one of India’s greatest revolutionary freedom fighters, Bhagat Singh, was given the death penalty by the British colonizers. Although he died young, at the age of 23, his actions inspired the youth of the nation to fight for their freedom. His execution encouraged many to take up the revolutionary path, playing a vital role in India’s freedom struggle. While many didn’t agree with his radical approach Mohammad Ali Jinnah defended his actions.
Here are some interesting facts that you should know about him:
Bhagat Singh left home for Kanpur when his parents tried to get him married, saying that if he married in slave India “my bride shall only be death” and joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association.
He along with Sukhdev planned to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai and plotted to kill the Superintendent of Police James Scott in Lahore. However in a case of mistaken identity, John Saunders and the Assistant Superintendent of Police was shot.
Although a Sikh by birth, he shaved his beard and cut his hair to avoid being recognized and arrested for the killing. He managed to escape from Lahore to Calcutta.
A year later, he and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs in the Central Assembly Hall in Delhi, and shouted “Inquilab Zindabad!” He did not resist his arrest at this point.
During interrogation, the British came to know about his involvement in the death of John Saunders a year earlier.
At the time of his trial, he didn’t offer any defense, rather used the occasion to propagate the idea of India’s freedom.
His death sentence was pronounced October 7, 1930, which he heard with defiant courage.
During his stay in jail, he went on a hunger strike against the policy of better treatment for prisoners of foreign origin.
He was sentenced to be hanged March, 24, 1931, but it was brought forward by 11 hours to 23 March 1931 at 7:30 pm.
It is said that no magistrate was willing to supervise the hanging. After the original death warrants expired it was an honorary judge who signed and oversaw the hanging.
Legend says that Bhagat Singh marched to the gallows with a smile on his face and his one last act of defiance was shouting ‘Down with British imperialism!’
PNN