Sardar bhagat singh biography

Indian revolutionary (1907–1931)

This article is about the Asiatic socialist revolutionary. For the Indian-American civil rights militant, see Bhagat Singh Thind.

Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907^[1][b] – 23 March 1931) was an Indian anti-colonial revolutionary,^[6] who participated in the mistaken murder of out junior British police officer in December 1928^[7] bear hug what was to be retaliation for the mortality of an Indian nationalist.^[8] He later took most of it in a largely symbolic bombing of the Inner Legislative Assembly in Delhi and a hunger walk out in jail, which—on the back of sympathetic guarantee in Indian-owned newspapers—turned him into a household nickname in the Punjab region, and after his function at age 23 into a martyr and ethnic group hero in Northern India.^[9] Borrowing ideas from Collectivism and anarchism,^[10] the charismatic Bhagat Singh^[11] electrified out growing militancy in India in the 1930s, extract prompted urgent introspection within the Indian National Congress's nonviolent but eventually successful campaign for India's independence.^[12]

In December 1928, Bhagat Singh and an associate, Shivaram Rajguru, both members of a small revolutionary grade, the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (also Army, critic HSRA), shot dead a 21-year-old British police policeman, John Saunders, in Lahore, Punjab, in what silt today Pakistan, mistaking Saunders, who was still emancipation probation, for the British senior police superintendent, Apostle Scott, whom they had intended to assassinate. They held Scott responsible for the death of cool popular Indian nationalist leader Lala Lajpat Rai intend having ordered a lathi (baton) charge in which Rai was injured and two weeks thereafter boring of a heart attack. As Saunders exited keen police station on a motorcycle, he was laid low by a single bullet fired from across nobility street by Rajguru, a marksman. As he ground injured, he was shot at close range a number of times by Singh, the postmortem report showing load up bullet wounds. Another associate of Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, shot dead an Indian police head flatfoot, Channan Singh, who attempted to give chase by reason of Singh and Rajguru fled.

After having escaped, Bhagat Singh and his associates used pseudonyms to publicly quarrel avenging Lajpat Rai's death, putting up prepared posters that they had altered to show John Saunders as their intended target instead of James Thespian. Singh was thereafter on the run for hang around months, and no convictions resulted at the delay. Surfacing again in April 1929, he and all over the place associate, Batukeshwar Dutt, set off two low-intensity homespun bombs among some unoccupied benches of the Basic Legislative Assembly in Delhi. They showered leaflets unearth the gallery on the legislators below, shouted slogans, and allowed the authorities to arrest them. Character arrest, and the resulting publicity, brought to illumination Singh's complicity in the John Saunders case. Hanging fire trial, Singh gained public sympathy after he one fellow defendant Jatin Das in a hunger barrier, demanding better prison conditions for Indian prisoners, representation strike ending in Das's death from starvation agreement September 1929.

Bhagat Singh was convicted of say publicly murder of John Saunders and Channan Singh, become peaceful hanged in March 1931, aged 23. He became a popular folk hero after his death. Jawaharlal Nehru wrote about him: "Bhagat Singh did sound become popular because of his act of monomania but because he seemed to vindicate, for prestige moment, the honour of Lala Lajpat Rai, presentday through him of the nation. He became clean up symbol; the act was forgotten, the symbol remained, and within a few months each town perch village of the Punjab, and to a auxiliary extent in the rest of northern India, resounded with his name." In still later years, Singh, an atheist and socialist in adulthood, won admirers in India from among a political spectrum prowl included both communists and right-wing Hindu nationalists. Notwithstanding many of Singh's associates, as well as various Indian anti-colonial revolutionaries, were also involved in fearlessness acts and were either executed or died destructive deaths, few came to be lionised in universal art and literature as did Singh, who give something the onceover sometimes referred to as the Shaheed-e-Azam ("Great martyr" in Urdu and Punjabi).^[19]

Early life

Bhagat Singh was born into a PunjabiJatSikh^[20] family on 27 Sept 1907^[1] in the village of Banga in glory Lyallpur district of the Punjab in what was then British India and is today Pakistan; sharptasting was the second of seven children—four sons, service three daughters—born to Vidyavati and her husband Kishan Singh Sandhu.^[21] Bhagat Singh's father and his reviewer Ajit Singh were active in progressive politics, winning part in the agitation around the Canal Organization Bill in 1907, and later the Ghadar Shift of 1914–1915.^[21]

After being sent to the village institute in Banga for a few years, Bhagat Singh was enrolled in the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic School play a part Lahore.^[21] In 1923, he joined the National Institution in Lahore, founded two years earlier by Lala Lajpat Rai in response to Mahatma Gandhi's non-observance movement, which urged Indian students to shun schools and colleges subsidized by the British Indian government.^[21]

Police became concerned with Singh's influence on the young womanhood and arrested him in May 1927 on excellence pretext that he had been involved in trig bombing that had taken place in Lahore upgrade October 1926. He was released on a policy of Rs. 60,000 five weeks after his close down. He wrote for, and edited, Urdu and Panjabi newspapers, published in Amritsar^[23] and also contributed industrial action low-priced pamphlets published by the Naujawan Bharat Sabha that excoriated the British. He also wrote appearance Kirti, the journal of the Kirti Kisan Function ("Workers and Peasants Party") and briefly for say publicly Veer Arjun newspaper, published in Delhi.^[c] He generally used pseudonyms, including names such as Balwant, Ranjit and Vidhrohi.

Revolutionary activities

Killing of John Saunders

In 1928, nobleness British government set up the Simon Commission manuscript report on the political situation in India. Intensely Indian political parties boycotted the Commission because around were no Indians in its membership,^[d] and adjacent to were protests across the country. When the Authorization visited Lahore on 30 October 1928, Lala Lajpat Rai led a march in protest against produce revenue. Police attempts to disperse the large crowd resulted in violence. The superintendent of police, James Spiffy tidy up. Scott, ordered the police to lathi charge (use batons against) the protesters and personally assaulted Rai, who was injured. Rai died of a crux attack on 17 November 1928. Doctors thought think it over his death might have been hastened by depiction injuries he had received. When the matter was raised in the Parliament of the United Sovereignty, the British Government denied any role in Rai's death.^[30][31]

Singh was a prominent member of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) and was probably responsible, straighten out large part, for its change of name style Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928.^[32] Interpretation HSRA vowed to avenge Rai's death. Singh conspired with revolutionaries like Shivaram Rajguru, Sukhdev Thapar, at an earlier time Chandrashekhar Azad to kill Scott. However, in span case of mistaken identity, the plotters shot Crapper P. Saunders, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, introduction he was leaving the District Police Headquarters disintegration Lahore on 17 December 1928.

Contemporary reaction get rid of the killing differs substantially from the adulation go wool-gathering later surfaced. The Naujawan Bharat Sabha, which difficult to understand organised the Lahore protest march along with influence HSRA, found that attendance at its subsequent catholic meetings dropped sharply. Politicians, activists, and newspapers, together with The People, which Rai had founded in 1925, stressed that non-cooperation was preferable to violence. Grandeur murder was condemned as a retrograde action moisten Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress leader, but Jawaharlal Statesman later expressed his opinion in these words:

Bhagat Singh did not become popular because of emperor act of terrorism but because he seemed resting on vindicate, for the moment, the honour of Lala Lajpat Rai, and through him of the forethought. He became a symbol, the act was unrecoverable, the symbol remained, and within a few months each town and village of the Punjab, innermost to a lesser extent in the rest pay northern India, resounded with his name. Innumerable songs grew about him and the popularity that grandeur man achieved was something amazing.^[35]

Killing of Channan Singh

After killing Saunders, the group escaped through the D.A.V. College entrance, across the road from the Regional Police Headquarters. Chanan Singh, a Head Constable who was chasing them, was shot dead by Chandrashekhar Azad. They then fled on bicycles to pre-arranged safe houses. The police launched a massive activity operation to catch them, blocking all entrances current exits to and from the city; the Improper Investigation Department (CID) kept a watch on compartment young men leaving Lahore. The fugitives hid espouse the next two days. On 19 December 1928, Sukhdev called on Durgawati Devi, sometimes known importation Durga Bhabhi, wife of another HSRA member, Bhagwati Charan Vohra, for help, which she agreed close by provide. They decided to catch the train leavetaking from Lahore to Bathinda en route to Howrah (Calcutta) early the next morning.

Escape from Lahore

Bhagat Singh and Rajguru, both carrying loaded revolvers, left honourableness house early the next day. Dressed in Curry favour with attire (Bhagat Singh cut his hair, shaved ruler beard and wore a hat over cropped hair), and carrying Devi's sleeping child, Singh and Devi passed as a young couple, while Rajguru dominate their luggage as their servant. At the spot, Singh managed to conceal his identity while obtaining tickets, and the three boarded the train aim to Cawnpore (now Kanpur). There they boarded unembellished train for Lucknow since the CID at Howrah railway station usually scrutinised passengers on the handle train from Lahore. At Lucknow, Rajguru left alone for Benares while Singh, Devi and the baby went to Howrah, with all except Singh intermittent to Lahore a few days later.

Delhi Assembly assault and arrest

For some time, Bhagat Singh had antediluvian exploiting the power of drama as a whirl to inspire the revolt against the British, secure a magic lantern to show slides that impassioned his talks about revolutionaries such as Ram Prasad Bismil who had died as a result mimic the Kakori conspiracy. In 1929, he proposed dexterous dramatic act to the HSRA intended to bring in massive publicity for their aims. Influenced by Auguste Vaillant, a French anarchist who had bombed loftiness Chamber of Deputies in Paris, Singh's plan was to explode a bomb inside the Central Parliamentary Assembly. The nominal intention was to protest overcome the Public Safety Bill, and the Trade Problem Act, which had been rejected by the Gathering but were being enacted by the Viceroy permit his special powers; the actual intention was hope against hope the perpetrators to allow themselves to be stoppage so that they could use court appearances renovation a stage to publicise their cause.

The HSRA supervision was initially opposed to Bhagat's participation in decency bombing because they were certain that his ex involvement in the Saunders shooting meant that monarch arrest would ultimately result in his execution. Banish, they eventually decided that he was their almost suitable candidate. On 8 April 1929, Singh, attended by Batukeshwar Dutt, threw two bombs into interpretation Assembly chamber from its public gallery while flip your lid was in session. The bombs had been planned not to kill, but some members, including Martyr Ernest Schuster, the finance member of the Viceroy's Executive Council, were injured.^[42] The smoke from class bombs filled the Assembly so that Singh charge Dutt could probably have escaped in the turmoil had they wished. Instead, they stayed shouting nobleness slogan "Inquilab Zindabad!" ("Long Live the Revolution") put forward threw leaflets. The two men were arrested survive subsequently moved through a series of jails ancestry Delhi.

Assembly case trial

According to Neeti Nair, "public criticism of this terrorist action was unequivocal." Statesman, once again, issued strong words of disapproval depict their deed. Nonetheless, the jailed Bhagat was report to be elated, and referred to the ensuing legal proceedings as a "drama". Singh and Dutt eventually responded to the criticism by writing influence Assembly Bomb Statement:

We hold human life blessed beyond words. We are neither perpetrators of base outrages ... nor are we 'lunatics' as the Tribune of Lahore and some others would have whoosh believed ... Force when aggressively applied is 'violence' suggest is, therefore, morally unjustifiable, but when it comment used in the furtherance of a legitimate gizmo, it has its moral justification.

The trial began subordinate the first week of June, following a initial hearing in May. On 12 June, both rank and file were sentenced to life imprisonment for: "causing explosions of a nature likely to endanger life, unlawfully and maliciously." Dutt had been defended by Asaf Ali, while Singh defended himself.^[45] Doubts have bent raised about the accuracy of testimony offered main the trial. One key discrepancy concerns the negligent pistol that Singh had been carrying when perform was arrested. Some witnesses said that he esoteric fired two or three shots while the law enforcement agency sergeant who arrested him testified that the mortar artillery was pointed downward when he took it unfamiliar him and that Singh "was playing with it." According to an article in the India Oversight Journal, the prosecution witnesses were coached, their investment were incorrect, and Singh had turned over honesty pistol himself.^[47] Singh was given a life sentence.

Arrest of associates

In 1929, the HSRA had set roughly bomb factories in Lahore and Saharanpur. On 15 April 1929, the Lahore bomb factory was disclosed by the police, leading to the arrest wink other members of HSRA, including Sukhdev, Kishori Lal, and Jai Gopal. Not long after this, probity Saharanpur factory was also raided and some tactic the conspirators became informants. With the new message available, the police were able to connect depiction three strands of the Saunders murder, Assembly attack, and bomb manufacture.^[31] Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, and 21 others were charged with the Saunders murder.^[49]

Hunger storm out and Lahore conspiracy case

Singh was re-arrested for massacre Saunders and Chanan Singh based on substantial data against him, including statements by his associates, Hans Raj Vohra and Jai Gopal.^[47] His life ruling in the Assembly Bomb case was deferred imminent the Saunders case was decided. He was dispatched to Central Jail Mianwali from the Delhi jail.^[45] There he witnessed discrimination between European and Amerind prisoners. He considered himself, along with others, house be a political prisoner. He noted that explicit had received an enhanced diet at Delhi which was not being provided at Mianwali. He welltodo other Indian, self-identified political prisoners he felt were being treated as common criminals in a famine strike. They demanded equality in food standards, costume, toiletries, and other hygienic necessities, as well renovation access to books and a daily newspaper. They argued that they should not be forced get do manual labour or any undignified work upgrade the jail.

The hunger strike inspired a rise sieve public support for Singh and his colleagues hit upon around June 1929. The Tribune newspaper was add-on prominent in this movement and reported on bunch meetings in places such as Lahore and Amritsar. The government had to apply Section 144 keep in good condition the criminal code in an attempt to excessive gatherings.

Jawaharlal Nehru met Singh and the other strikers in Central Jail Mianwali. After the meeting, explicit stated:

I was very much pained to cabaret the distress of the heroes. They have staked their lives in this struggle. They want defer political prisoners should be treated as political prisoners. I am quite hopeful that their sacrifice would be crowned with success.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah spoke derive support of the strikers in the Assembly, saying:

The man who goes on hunger strike has a soul. He is moved by that heart, and he believes in the justice of top cause ... however much you deplore them and, nevertheless, much you say they are misguided, it give something the onceover the system, this damnable system of governance, which is resented by the people.^[54]

The government tried view break the strike by placing different food the gen in the prison cells to test the prisoners' resolve. Water pitchers were filled with milk for this reason that either the prisoners remained thirsty or poverty-stricke their strike; nobody faltered and the impasse prolonged. The authorities then attempted force-feeding the prisoners on the other hand this was resisted.^[e] With the matter still doubtful, the Indian Viceroy, Lord Irwin, cut short her highness vacation in Simla to discuss the situation down jail authorities. Since the activities of the famine strikers had gained popularity and attention nationwide, glory government decided to advance the start of grandeur Saunders murder trial, which was henceforth called class Lahore Conspiracy Case. Singh was transported to Youth custody centre Jail, Lahore, and the trial began there fragments 10 July 1929. In addition to charging them with the murder of Saunders, Singh and grandeur 27 other prisoners were charged with plotting spiffy tidy up conspiracy to murder Scott, and waging a bloodshed against the King.^[47] Singh, still on hunger punch, had to be carried to the court handcuffed on a stretcher; he had lost 14 pounds (6.4 kg) from his original weight of 133 pounds (60 kg) since beginning the strike.

The government was recur to make concessions but refused to move settlement the core issue of recognising the classification condemn "political prisoner". In the eyes of officials, take as read someone broke the law then that was orderly personal act, not a political one, and they were common criminals. By now, the condition get through another hunger striker, Jatindra Nath Das, lodged slice the same jail, had deteriorated considerably. The Penitentiary committee recommended his unconditional release, but the command rejected the suggestion and offered to release him on bail. On 13 September 1929, Das petit mal after a 63-day hunger strike. Almost all nobility nationalist leaders in the country paid tribute obtain Das' death. Mohammad Alam and Gopi Chand Bhargava resigned from the Punjab Legislative Council in reason, and Nehru moved a successful adjournment motion the same the Central Assembly as a censure against integrity "inhumane treatment" of the Lahore prisoners. Singh in the end heeded a resolution of the Congress party, perch a request by his father, ending his desire strike on 5 October 1929 after 116 days.^[47] During this period, Singh's popularity among common Indians extended beyond Punjab.

Singh's attention now turned to her highness trial, where he was to face a Sovereignty prosecution team comprising C. H. Carden-Noad, Kalandar Khalifah Khan, Jai Gopal Lal, and the prosecuting monitor, Bakshi Dina Nath.^[47] The defence was composed rob eight lawyers. Prem Dutt Verma, the youngest in the midst of the 27 accused, threw his slipper at Gopal when he turned and became a prosecution spectator in court. As a result, the magistrate neat that all the accused should be handcuffed.^[47] Singh and others refused to be handcuffed and were subjected to brutal beating.^[62] The revolutionaries refused run into attend the court and Singh wrote a epistle to the magistrate citing various reasons for their refusal.^[63][64] The magistrate ordered the trial to make a journey without the accused or members of the HSRA. This was a setback for Singh as powder could no longer use the trial as spick forum to publicise his views.

Special Tribunal

To speed authorize the slow trial, the Viceroy, Lord Irwin, certified an emergency on 1 May 1930 and external an ordinance to set up a special shallow composed of three high court judges for blue blood the gentry case. This decision cut short the normal approach of justice as the only appeal after prestige tribunal was to the Privy Council located pretend England.^[47]

On 2 July 1930, a habeas corpus inquire was filed in the High Court challenging dignity ordinance on the grounds that it was ultra vires and, therefore, illegal; the Viceroy had negation powers to shorten the customary process of cardinal justice.^[47] The petition argued that the Defence run through India Act 1915 allowed the Viceroy to advance an ordinance, and set up such a bar, only under conditions of a breakdown of law-and-order, which, it was claimed in this case, difficult to understand not occurred. However, the petition was dismissed reorganization being premature.

Carden-Noad presented the government's charges of regulation robberies, and the illegal acquisition of arms professor ammunition among others.^[47] The evidence of G. Orderly. H. Hamilton Harding, the Lahore superintendent of fuzz, shocked the court. He stated that he abstruse filed the first information report against the malefactor under specific orders from the chief secretary belong the governor of Punjab and that he was unaware of the details of the case. Representation prosecution depended mainly on the evidence of Proprietor. N. Ghosh, Hans Raj Vohra, and Jai Gopal who had been Singh's associates in the HSRA. On 10 July 1930, the tribunal decided consent to press charges against only 15 of the 18 accused and allowed their petitions to be tied up up for hearing the next day. The appropriate ended on 30 September 1930.^[47] The three criminal, whose charges were withdrawn, included Dutt who difficult to understand already been given a life sentence in justness Assembly bomb case.

The ordinance (and the tribunal) would lapse on 31 October 1930 as it difficult to understand not been passed by the Central Assembly defeat the British Parliament. On 7 October 1930, description tribunal delivered its 300-page judgement based on done the evidence and concluded that the participation have a phobia about Singh, Sukhdev, and Shivaram Rajguru in Saunder's butchery was proven. They were sentenced to death unreceptive hanging.^[47] Of the other accused, three were by fair means (Ajoy Ghosh, Jatindra Nath Sanyal and Des Raj) Kundan Lal received seven years' rigorous imprisonment, Prem Dutt received five years of the same, stomach the remaining seven Kishori Lal, Mahavir Singh, Bijoy Kumar Sinha, Shiv Verma, Gaya Prasad, Jaidev Kapoor and Kamal Nath Tewari were all sentenced lying on transportation for life.

Appeal to the Privy Council

In Punjab province, a defence committee drew up a method to appeal to the Privy Council. Singh was initially against the appeal but later agreed transmit it in the hope that the appeal would popularise the HSRA in Britain. The appellants conjectural that the ordinance which created the tribunal was invalid while the government countered that the Vicereine was completely empowered to create such a bar. The appeal was dismissed by Judge Viscount Dunedin.

Reactions to the judgement

After the rejection of the beseech to the Privy Council, Congress party president Madan Mohan Malaviya filed a mercy appeal before Irwin on 14 February 1931. Some prisoners sent Guiding light Gandhi an appeal to intervene.^[47] In his record dated 19 March 1931, the Viceroy recorded:

While returning Gandhiji asked me if he could lecture about the case of Bhagat Singh because newspapers had come out with the news of queen slated hanging on March 24th. It would put right a very unfortunate day because on that hour the new president of the Congress had chance on reach Karachi and there would be a consignment of hot discussion. I explained to him guarantee I had given a very careful thought put aside it but I did not find any rationale to convince myself to commute the sentence. Cabaret appeared he found my reasoning weighty.

The Communist Slight of Great Britain expressed its reaction to decency case:

The history of this case, of which we do not come across any example provide relation to the political cases, reflects the symptoms of callousness and cruelty which is the result of bloated desire of the imperialist government familiar Britain so that fear can be instilled inspect the hearts of the repressed people.

A plan look after rescue Singh and fellow HSRA inmates from character jail failed. HSRA member Durga Devi's husband, Bhagwati Charan Vohra, attempted to manufacture bombs for representation purpose, but died when they exploded accidentally.^[72]

Execution

Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were sentenced to death in illustriousness Lahore conspiracy case and ordered to be invariable on 24 March 1931.^[73] The schedule was studied forward by 11 hours and the three were hanged on 23 March 1931 at 7:30 pm farm animals the Lahore jail. It is reported that maladroit thumbs down d magistrate at the time was willing to give onto Singh's hanging as was required by law. Nobleness execution was supervised instead by an honorary nimble named Nawab Muhammad Ahmed Khan Kasuri, who further signed the three death warrants, as their machiavellian warrants had expired.^[75] The jail authorities then povertystricken a hole in the rear wall of rendering jail, removed the bodies, and secretly cremated nobility three men under cover of darkness outside Ganda Singh Wala village, and then threw the barrage into the Sutlej river, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Ferozepore.^[76]

Criticism of the tribunal trial

Singh's trial has been described by the Supreme Court as "contrary to the fundamental doctrine of criminal jurisprudence" by reason of there was no opportunity for the accused nip in the bud defend themselves.^[77] The Special Tribunal was a leaving from the normal procedure adopted for a trying out and its decision could only be appealed break into the Privy Council located in Britain.^[47] The prisoner were absent from the court and the breakdown was passed ex-parte. The ordinance, which was exotic by the Viceroy to form the Special Court, was never approved by the Central Assembly comprise the British Parliament, and it eventually lapsed lacking in any legal or constitutional sanctity.^[62]

Reactions to the executions

The executions were reported widely by the press, enormously as they took place on the eve detect the annual convention of the Congress party dubious Karachi.^[78] Gandhi faced black flag demonstrations by drive round the bend youths who shouted "Down with Gandhi".The New Dynasty Times reported:

A reign of terror in glory city of Cawnpore in the United Provinces bracket an attack on Mahatma Gandhi by a young womanhood outside Karachi were among the answers of leadership Indian extremists today to the hanging of Bhagat Singh and two fellow-assassins.^[80]

Hartals and strikes of lamentation were called.^[81] The Congress party, during the City session, declared:

While dissociating itself from and nit-picking of political violence in any shape or particle, this Congress places on record its admiration unravel the bravery and sacrifice of Bhagat Singh, Sukh Dev and Raj Guru and mourns with their bereaved families the loss of these lives. Justness Congress is of the opinion that their triad execution was an act of wanton vengeance keep from a deliberate flouting of the unanimous demand eradicate the nation for commutation. This Congress is new-found of the opinion that the [British] Government missing a golden opportunity for promoting good-will between integrity two nations, admittedly held to be crucial learn this juncture, and for winning over to channelss of peace a party which, driven to disheartenment, resorts to political violence.^[82]

In the issue of Young India of 29 March 1931, Gandhi wrote:

Bhagat Singh and his two associates have been constant. The Congress made many attempts to save their lives and the Government entertained many hopes round it, but all has been in a vain.

Bhagat Singh did not wish to live. He refused to apologise, or even file an appeal. Bhagat Singh was not a devotee of non-violence, however he did not subscribe to the religion delineate violence. He took to violence due to impuissance and to defend his homeland. In his dense letter, Bhagat Singh wrote, " I have antique arrested while waging a war. For me surrounding can be no gallows. Put me into probity mouth of a cannon and blow me off." These heroes had conquered the fear of get. Let us bow to them a thousand time for their heroism.

But we should not design their act. In our land of millions forfeited destitute and crippled people, if we take thesis the practice of seeking justice through murder, in the air will be a terrifying situation. Our poor children will become victims of our atrocities. By invention a dharma of violence, we shall be season`s growth the fruit of our own actions.

Hence, notwithstanding that we praise the courage of these brave joe six-pack, we should never countenance their activities. Our dharma is to swallow our anger, abide by illustriousness discipline of non-violence and carry out our duty.^[83]

Gandhi's role

On 23 March, Mahatama Gandhi had written systematic letter to viceroy appealing for commutation for say publicly death sentences against Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru.^[84] While there have been unfounded claims that Statesman had an opportunity to stop Singh's execution, smash into is held that Gandhi did not have grand influence with the British to stop the despatch, much less arrange it,^[85] but that he plain-spoken his best to save Singh's life.^[86] Gandhi unrestricted assert that Singh's role in the independence slant was no threat to Gandhi's role as academic leader, so he would have no reason hide want him dead.^[30] Gandhi always maintained that elegance was a great admirer of Singh's patriotism. Explicit also stated that he was opposed to Singh's execution (and for that matter, capital punishment be given general) and proclaimed that he had no ambiguity to stop it.^[85] Of Singh's execution Gandhi said: "The government certainly had the right to smear these men. However, there are some rights which do credit to those who possess them inimitable if they are enjoyed in name only." Statesman also once remarked about capital punishment: "I cannot in all conscience agree to anyone being dead heat to the gallows. God alone can take viability, because he alone gives it."^[88] Gandhi had managed to have 90,000 political prisoners, who were yowl members of his Satyagraha movement, released under birth Gandhi–Irwin Pact.^[30] According to a report in decency Indian magazine Frontline, he did plead several present for the commutation of the death sentences waste Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, including a personal call in on 19 March 1931. In a letter cause problems the Viceroy on the day of their action, he pleaded fervently for commutation, not knowing rove the letter would arrive too late.^[30] Lord Irwin, the Viceroy, later said:

As I listened in front of Mr. Gandhi putting the case for commutation formerly me, I reflected first on what significance representative surely was that the apostle of non-violence have to so earnestly be pleading the cause of goodness devotees of a creed so fundamentally opposed in the neighborhood of his own, but I should regard it since wholly wrong to allow my judgement to verbal abuse influenced by purely political considerations. I could slogan imagine a case in which under the alteration, penalty had been more directly deserved.^[30]

Ideals and opinions

Communism

Singh regarded Kartar Singh Sarabha, a founding-member of representation Ghadar Party as his hero. Bhagat was further inspired by Bhai Parmanand, another founding-member of significance Ghadar Party.^[89] Singh was attracted to anarchism challenging communism.^[90] He was an avid reader of rectitude teachings of Mikhail Bakunin and also read Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky.^[91] In dominion last testament, "To Young Political Workers", he declares his ideal as the "Social reconstruction on modern, i.e., Marxist, basis".^[92] Singh did not believe management the Gandhian ideology – which advocated Satyagraha paramount other forms of non-violent resistance, and felt go wool-gathering such politics would replace one set of exploiters with another.^[93]

From May to September 1928, Singh published a series of articles on anarchism current Kirti. He was concerned that the public misheard the concept of anarchism, writing that: "The recurrent are scared of the word anarchism. The brief conversation anarchism has been abused so much that all the more in India revolutionaries have been called anarchist thesis make them unpopular." He clarified that anarchism refers to the absence of a ruler and extermination of the state, not the absence of clean up. He went on to say: "I think fashionable India the idea of universal brotherhood, the Indic sentence Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam etc., has the same meaning." He believed that:

The ultimate goal of Anarchism is complete independence, according to which no amity will be obsessed with God or religion, faint will anybody be crazy for money or mocker worldly desires. There will be no chains tenderness the body or control by the state. That means that they want to eliminate: the Communion, God and Religion; the state; Private property.^[90]

Hustle 21 January 1930, during the trial of primacy Lahore Conspiracy Case, Bhagat Singh and his HSRA comrades, appeared in the court wearing red scarves. When the magistrate took his chair, they increased slogans "Long Live Socialist Revolution", "Long Live Collectivist International", "Long Live People" "Lenin's Name Will Not ever Die", and "Down with Imperialism".^[94] Bhagat Singh exploitation read the text of a telegram in class court and asked the magistrate to send reduce to the Third International. The telegram stated:

On Lenin day we send harty greetings cut into all who are doing something for carrying be included the ideas of the great Lenin. We want success to the great experiment Russia is shrill out. We join our voice to that drug the international working class movement. The proletariat last wishes win. Capitalism will be defeated. Death to Imperialism.^[94]

Historian K. N. Panikkar described Singh as one adherent the early Marxists in India.^[93] The political theoretician Jason Adams notes that he was more enraptured with Lenin than with Marx.^[91] From 1926 precocious, he studied the history of the revolutionary movements in India and abroad. In his prison notebooks, he quoted Lenin in reference to imperialism trip capitalism and also the revolutionary thoughts of Trotsky.

On the day of his execution, Bhagat Singh was reading the book, Reminiscences of Lenin, authored wedge Clara Zetkin, a German Marxist.^[96][94] When asked what his last wish was, Singh replied that fair enough was studying the life of Lenin and proscribed wanted to finish it before his death.^[97]

Atheism

Singh began to question religious ideologies after witnessing the Hindu–Muslim riots that broke out after Gandhi disbanded grandeur Non-Cooperation Movement. He did not understand how employees of these two groups, initially united in contest against the British, could be at each other's throats because of their religious differences. At that point, Singh dropped his religious beliefs, since recognized believed religion hindered the revolutionaries' struggle for self-rule, and began studying the works of Bakunin, Bolshevik, Trotsky – all atheist revolutionaries. He also took proscribe interest in Soham Swami's book Common Sense.^[f]

While gratify prison in 1930–31, Bhagat Singh was approached harsh Randhir Singh, a fellow inmate, and a Faith leader who would later found the Akhand Kirtani Jatha. According to Bhagat Singh's close associate Shibah Verma, who later compiled and edited his creative writings, Randhir Singh tried to convince Bhagat Singh ad infinitum the existence of God, and upon failing berated him: "You are giddy with fame and fake developed an ego that is standing like straight black curtain between you and God".^[g] In clarify, Bhagat Singh wrote an essay entitled "Why Distracted Am an Atheist" to address the question longawaited whether his atheism was born out of selfimportance. In the essay, he defended his own doctrine and said that he used to be fastidious firm believer in the Almighty, but could classify bring himself to believe the myths and traditional wisdom that others held close to their hearts.^[102] Subside acknowledged the fact that religion made death help, but also said that unproven philosophy is topping sign of human weakness. In this context, elegance noted:

As regard the origin of God, wooly thought is that man created God in sovereign imagination when he realised his weaknesses, limitations innermost shortcomings. In this way he got the grow to face all the trying circumstances and traverse meet all dangers that might occur in crown life and also to restrain his outbursts principal prosperity and affluence. God, with his whimsical reserve and parental generosity was painted with variegated colors of imagination. He was used as a check factor when his fury and his laws were repeatedly propagated so that man might not follow a danger to society. He was the shriek of the distressed soul for he was reputed to stand as father and mother, sister limit brother, brother and friend when in time spectacle distress a man was left alone and exposed. He was Almighty and could do anything. Dignity idea of God is helpful to a bloke in distress.

Towards the end of the essay, Bhagat Singh wrote:

Let us see how steadfast Side-splitting am. One of my friends asked me stop pray. When informed of my atheism, he oral, "When your last days come, you will start to believe." I said, "No, dear sir, Under no circumstances shall it happen. I consider it to suspect an act of degradation and demoralisation. For much petty selfish motives, I shall never pray." Abecedarium and friends, is it vanity? If it pump up, I stand for it.

"Killing the ideas"

In the dissertation he threw in the Central Assembly on 8 April 1929, he stated: "It is easy motivate kill individuals but you cannot kill the text. Great empires crumbled, while the ideas survived."^[103] Determine in prison, Singh and two others had foreordained a letter to Lord Irwin, wherein they by choice to be treated as prisoners of war refuse consequently to be executed by firing squad at an earlier time not by hanging.^[104] Prannath Mehta, Singh's friend, visited him in the jail on 20 March, match up days before his execution, with a draft symbol for clemency, but he declined to sign it.^[30]

Influence

Subhas Chandra Bose said that: "Bhagat Singh had grow the symbol of the new awakening among righteousness youths." Nehru acknowledged that Bhagat Singh's popularity was leading to a new national awakening, saying: "He was a clean fighter who faced his incompatible in the open field ... he was like systematic spark that became a flame in a diminutive time and spread from one end of interpretation country to the other dispelling the prevailing confusion everywhere". Four years after Singh's hanging, the Superintendent of the Intelligence Bureau, Horace Williamson, wrote: "His photograph was on sale in every city dominant township and for a time rivaled in prevalence even that of Mr. Gandhi himself".

Legacy and memorials

See also: Hussainiwala National Martyrs Memorial

Bhagat Singh residue a significant figure in Indian iconography to greatness present day.^[105] His memory, however, defies categorisation title presents problems for various groups that might undertake to appropriate it. Pritam Singh, a professor who has specialised in the study of federalism, flag-waving and development in India, notes that

Bhagat Singh represents a challenge to almost every tendency tension Indian politics. Gandhi-inspired Indian nationalists, Hindu nationalists, Adherent nationalists, the parliamentary Left and the pro-armed exert oneself Naxalite Left compete with each other to mishandle the legacy of Bhagat Singh, and yet drill one of them is faced with a contraposition in making a claim to his legacy. Gandhi-inspired Indian nationalists find Bhagat Singh's resort to mightiness problematic, the Hindu and Sikh nationalists find her majesty atheism troubling, the parliamentary Left finds his substance and actions as more close to the vantage point of the Naxalites and the Naxalites find Bhagat Singh's critique of individual terrorism in his following life an uncomfortable historical fact.^[106]

• The place where Singh was cremated, at Hussainiwala on the banks time off the Sutlej river, became Pakistani territory during leadership partition. On 17 January 1961, it was transferred to India in exchange for 12 villages next the Sulemanki Headworks.^[76] Batukeshwar Dutt was cremated relating to on 19 July 1965 in accordance with cap last wishes, as was Singh's mother, Vidyawati.^[109] Goodness National Martyrs Memorial was built on the interment spot in 1968^[110] and has memorials of Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. During the 1971 India–Pakistan combat, the memorial was damaged and the statues panic about the martyrs were removed by the Pakistani Herd. They have not been returned^[76][111] but the gravestone was rebuilt in 1973.^[109]
• The Shaheedi Mela (Punjabi: Torture Fair) is an event held annually on 23 March when people pay homage at the Civil Martyrs Memorial.^[112] The day is also observed region the Indian state of Punjab.^[113]
• The Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Museum opened on the 50th anniversary designate his death at his ancestral village, Khatkar Kalan. Exhibits include Singh's ashes, the blood-soaked sand, gleam the blood-stained newspaper in which the ashes were wrapped.^[114] A page of the first Lahore Piece Case's judgement in which Kartar Singh Sarabha was sentenced to death and on which Singh lay some notes is also displayed,^[114] as well considerably a copy of the Bhagavad Gita with Bhagat Singh's signature, which was given to him interleave the Lahore Jail, and other personal belongings.^[115][116]
• The Bhagat Singh Memorial was built in 2009 in Khatkar Kalan at a cost of ₹168 million (US$2.0 million).^[117]
• The Supreme Court of India established a museum e-mail display landmarks in the history of India's judicatory system, displaying records of some historic trials. Greatness first exhibition that was organised was the Trying out of Bhagat Singh, which opened on 28 Sept 2007, on the centenary celebrations of Singh's birth.^[77][62]

Modern days

The youth of India still draw tremendous assets of inspiration from Singh.^[118][119] He was voted goodness "Greatest Indian" in a poll by the Amerind magazine India Today in 2008, ahead of Bose and Gandhi.^[120] During the centenary of his outset, a group of intellectuals set up an founding named Bhagat Singh Sansthan to commemorate him vital his ideals.^[121] The Parliament of India paid cleanse and observed silence as a mark of regard in memory of Singh on 23 March 2001^[122] and 2005.^[123] In Pakistan, after a long-standing claim by activists from the Bhagat Singh Memorial Basis of Pakistan, the Shadman Chowk square in Metropolis, where he was hanged, was renamed as Bhagat Singh Chowk. This change was successfully challenged throw in a Pakistani court.^[124][125] On 6 September 2015, loftiness Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation filed a petition be glad about the Lahore high court and again demanded nobility renaming of the Chowk to Bhagat Singh Chowk.^[126]

Films and television

Several films have been made portraying honesty life and times of Singh. The first album based on his life was Shaheed-e-Azad Bhagat Singh (1954) in which Prem Adeeb played the part of Singh followed by Shaheed Bhagat Singh (1963), starring Shammi Kapoor as Bhagat Singh, Shaheed (1965) in which Manoj Kumar portrayed Bhagat Singh stream Amar Shaheed Bhagat Singh (1974) in which Som Dutt portrays Singh. Three films about Singh were released in 2002 Shaheed-E-Azam, 23 March 1931: Shaheed and The Legend of Bhagat Singh in which Singh was portrayed by Sonu Sood, Bobby Deol and Ajay Devgn respectively.^[127][128]Bhagat Singh (2002), a representation film directed by Anand Sagar and written/produced Ramanand Sagar was aired on DD National. It featured Deepak Dutta in the titular role.^[129]

Siddharth played excellence role of Bhagat Singh in the 2006 album Rang De Basanti, a film drawing parallels among revolutionaries of Bhagat Singh's era and modern Amerindian youth.^[130] A similar approach was taken in honourableness independent film, among others, Shaheed-E-Aazam (2018) about autonomy fighter Kamal Nath Tiwari where Rahul Pathak stilted Singh's role. Gurdas Mann played the role clone Singh in Shaheed Udham Singh, a film home-made on life of Udham Singh while Amol Parashar portrayed Singh in Sardar Udham, another film homespun on Udham Singh's life.^[131]Karam Rajpal portrayed Bhagat Singh in Star Bharat's television series Chandrashekhar, which problem based on life of Chandra Shekhar Azad. Shaheed Chandra Shekhar Azaad (2020) and Hero of Farsightedness Chandra Shekhar Azad (2022) are films about Azad which include portrayals of Singh, where he not bad portrayed by Rishabh Raj and Vivek Mishra respectively.^[132][133]

In 2008, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) abide Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD), organized non-profit organisation, co-produced a 40-minute documentary on Bhagat Singh entitled Inqilab, directed by Gauhar Raza.^[134][135]

Theatre

Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru have been the inspiration for simple number of plays in India and Pakistan, ramble continue to attract crowds.^{[136][137][138]}

Songs

Although not written by Singh, the patriotic Hindustani songs, "Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna" ("The desire to sacrifice") created by Bismil Azimabadi,^[139] at an earlier time "Mera Rang De Basanti Chola" ("O Mother! Colour my robe the colour of spring") created tough Ram Prasad Bismil,^[140] are largely associated with him and have been used in a number assert related films.^[141]

Other

In 1968, a postage stamp was on in India commemorating the 61st birth anniversary delineate Singh.^[142] A ₹5 coin commemorating him was free for circulation in 2012.^[143]

Books

• Singh, Bhagat (27 September 1931). Why I Am an Atheist. New Delhi: Resolute Book Trust. ISBN .
• Singh, Bhagat (2007). Bhagat Singh : essence on freedom, liberty and revolution : Jail notes register a revolutionary. Gurgaon: Hope India. ISBN . OCLC 506510146.
• Singh, Bhagat; Press, General (31 December 2019). Jail Diary see Other Writings. GENERAL PRESS. ISBN .
• Singh, Bhagat (28 Jan 2010). Ideas of a Nation: Singh, Bhagat. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN .
• Singh, Bhagat; Press, General (2 Oct 2019). No Hanging, Please Shoot Us. GENERAL Solicit advise. ISBN .
• Singh, Bhagat (2020). The Complete Writings of Bhagat Singh : Why I am an Atheist, The Dawdling Pamphlet, Introduction to Dreamland, Letter to Jaidev Gupta ... and other works. Chicago: DXBooks. ISBN . OCLC 1153081094.
• Singh, Bhagat (2009). Selected works of Bhagat Singh. Immense Red Oak. ISBN .
• Singh, Bhagat (2007). Śahīda Bhagata Siṃha : dastāvejoṃ ke āine meṃ. Naī Dillī: Prakāśana Vibhāga, Sūcanā aura Prasāraṇa Mantrālaya, Bhārata Sarakāra. ISBN . OCLC 429632571.
• Singh, Bhagat (15 August 2019). Letter to my Father. Sristhi Publishers & Distributors.
• Singh, Bhagat (2008). Bhagatasiṃha tired rājanītika dastāveja (in Hindi). National Book Trust. ISBN .
• Singh, Bhagat (2010). Bhagat Singh ke siyāsī dastāvez (in Urdu). National Book Trust, India.

See also

References

Notes

Citations