Bhagat Singh: The Young Revolutionary

Early life of Bhagat Singh

Bhagat Singh was born on September 27, 1907, in Lyallpur, western Punjab, India (now in Pakistan).

Bhagat Singh attended Dayanand Anglo Vedic High School, which was operated by Arya Samaj (a reform sect of modern Hinduism), and then National College, both located in Lahore.

His family members were involved in the freedom struggle and he was drawn to the Indian independence movement from a very young age. His father and his uncle Ajit Singh were active in progressive politics, taking part in the agitation around the Canal Colonization Bill in 1907, and later the Ghadar Movement of 1914–1915.

In 1923, he joined the National College in Lahore, founded two years earlier by Lala Lajpat Rai in response to Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement, which urged Indian students to shun schools and colleges subsidized by the British Indian government.

Bhagat Singh’s foray into the freedom movement

His family’s relation with the freedom struggle propelled Bhagat Singh into the activities from a young age. Initially, he supported Mahatma Gandhi and the Non-Cooperation Movement. However, when Gandhi withdrew the movement in the wake of the Chauri Chaura incident, Bhagat Singh turned to revolutionary nationalism.

Bhagat singh was deeply affected by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919) and the violence against unarmed Akali protestors at Nankana Sahib (1921).

In 1924 in Kanpur, he became a member of the Hindustan Republican Association, started by Sachindranath Sanyal a year earlier. The main organizer of the Association was Chandra Shekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh became very close to him.

In 1926, he founded the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, an organization that aimed to encourage revolution against British rule by rallying the peasants and workers.

He made contact with the ‘Workers and Peasants Party’ which brought out the monthly magazine Kirti in Punjabi. For the next year, Bhagat Singh worked on the editorial board of Kirti.

In 1928, he established the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) along with Sukhdev, Chandrashekhar Azad, and others.

HSRA collapsed after Chandrashekar Azad was shot dead in 1930.

Revolutionary Deeds of Bhagat Singh 

The killing of Police Officer John Saunders

Simon Commission was established by the British Government to report the political situation in India. The Commission headed by Sir John Simon was boycotted as no Indian was a part of it.  

On 30 October 1928, the Commission visited Lahore. Lala Lajpat Rai led a silent march against it. In a bid to disperse the demonstrators, the Superintendent of Police, James A. Scott, ordered a lathi charge in which Rai was grievously injured. Rai died of a heart attack on 17 November 1928. 

To avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh along with two other two revolutionaries, Sukhdev and Rajguru, plotted to kill the Superintendent of Police. However, in case of mistaken identity, Bhagat Singh killed British Police Officer John Saunders when he was leaving the District Police Headquarters in Lahore on 17 December 1928.

Soon after this, a massive search operation was launched and Bhagat Singh had to flee from Lahore, and shave his head and beard to avoid recognition. 

While Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi condemned the violent act committed by Bhagat Singh former Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru noted:

“ Bhagat Singh did not become popular because of his act of terrorism but because he seemed to vindicate, for the moment, the honour of Lala Lajpat Rai, and through him of the nation. He became a symbol, the act was forgotten, the symbol remained, and within a few months each town and village of Punjab, and to a lesser extent in the rest of northern India, resounded with his name. Innumerable songs grew about him and the popularity that the man achieved was something amazing.”

The Bombing of Central Assembly Hall

On 8 April 1929, Bhagat Singh accompanied by Batukeshwar Dutt, threw two bombs into the Assembly chamber from its public gallery while it was in session. The bombs injured the members of the Assembly. The chaos and confusion created thereafter gave the window to both of them to escape the Assembly Hall, but they stayed there and shouted the popular catchphrase ‘Inquilab Zindabad!’. Subsequently, Singh and Dutt were arrested and moved through a series of jails in Delhi.

The Saunders Case/ Lahore Conspiracy case:

In 1928, Lala Lajpat rai died due to injuries sustained during a protest against the Simon Commission in Lahore. The lathi-charge was ordered by the superintendent of police James Scott.

Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary friends decided to avenge the death of the dear leader. However, in a case of mistaken identity, they assassinated another police official J P Saunders. This was known as the Lahore Conspiracy Case.

• After this incident, Bhagat Singh fled from Lahore and made changed his appearance to avoid arrest.

The murder was condemned as a retrograde action by Mahatma Gandhi, but Jawaharlal Nehru later wrote:

“Bhagat Singh did not become popular because of his act of terrorism but because he seemed to vindicate, for the moment, the honor of Lala Lajpat Rai, and through him of the nation. He became a symbol, the act was forgotten, the symbol remained, and within a few months each town and village of Punjab, and to a lesser extent in the rest of northern India, resounded with his name. Innumerable songs grew about him and the popularity that the man achieved was something amazing.”

Central assembly bombing case:

On 8th April 1929, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb in the Central Assembly at Delhi, from the Visitors’ Gallery. They also threw pamphlets and raised pro-revolutionary slogans.

Both the revolutionaries did not resist arrest since they wanted to spread their message of revolution and anti-imperialism and wanted to use the trial as a platform for it.

• They shouted slogans of “Inquilab Zindabad” during the whole arrest. The slogan became quite popular among the youth and many freedom fighters.

There were no causalities in the incident as it was never their intention to cause physical harm to anyone. Their aim was ‘to make the deaf hear’.

Bhagat Singh was the mastermind behind the incident and was inspired by Auguste Vaillant, a French anarchist, who was executed by France for a similar incident in Paris.

In the trial for the incident, both Singh and Dutt were sentenced to imprisonment for life.

By this time Bhagat Singh was also linked to the JP Saunder’s murder incident. He, along with Rajguru and Sukhdev was charged with the murder of Saunders.

The trial and death of Bhagat Singh

The trial started in July 1929 and was published in daily newspapers.

The young revolutionaries started a hunger strike in Lahore prison demanding better conditions for political prisoners who were also treated as criminals.

They were met by many leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru while they fasted for 116 days which only ended after repeated requests from family and congress leaders.

But the trial was a one-sided affair and Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were sentenced to death. The verdict was met with large criticism and many national leaders requested to reduce the sentence but in vain.

The three were ordered to be hanged on 24 March 1931 but the sentence was carried out a day earlier at the Lahore Jail. After the hanging, their mortal remains were cremated in secret.

The executions were reported widely by the press, especially as they took place on the eve of the annual convention of the Congress party in Karachi. Gandhi faced black flag demonstrations by angry youths who shouted: “Down with Gandhi”.

Individual Heroism vs Mass Movement

Bhagat Singh initially believed in individual heroism to achieve the goal.

However, he later realised that individual heroism stood no chance against the brute force of the British empire and the only way to a successful revolution was to unleash a popular broad-based movement.

Legacy of Bhagat Singh

Every year, March 23 is observed as Martyrs’ Day as a tribute to freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru. The day is also known as Shaheed Diwas or Sarvodaya Day.

During the centenary of his birth, a group of intellectuals sets up an institution named Bhagat Singh Sansthan to commemorate him and his ideals.

He was an atheist and ardent reader- his book “Why I am an Athiest” is quite popular.

Few of his famous quotes were-

• They may kill me but they cannot kill my ideas. They can crush my body, but they will not be able to crush my spirit.
• Bombs and pistols do not make a revolution. The sword of revolution is sharpened on the whetting stone of ideas.
• May the sun in his course visit no land freer, happier, more lovely, than this our own country.
• But mere faith and blind faith is dangerous: it dulls the brain and makes a man reactionary.
• Revolution is an inalienable right of mankind. Freedom is an imperishable birthright of all. Labour is the real sustainer of society.

The youth of India still gain inspiration in his life- a young revolutionary with fire in his blood and calm in his heart.

Some Famous Quotes of Bhagat Singh

• “They may kill me, but they cannot kill my ideas. They can crush my body, but they will not be able to crush my spirit."
•  "Revolution is an inalienable right of mankind. Freedom is an imperishable birthright of all."
• “But man's duty is to try and endeavour, success depends upon chance and environments.”
• “Philosophy is the outcome of human weakness or limitation of knowledge.”
• “Merciless criticism and independent thinking are the two necessary traits of revolutionary thinking.”
• "I am a man and all that affects mankind concerns me."
• "If the deaf is to hear, the sound has to be very loud."
• “A rebellion is not a revolution. It may ultimately lead to that end.”
•  “The aim of life is no more to control the mind, but to develop it harmoniously; not to achieve salvation hereafter, but to make the best use of it here below.”
• "Any man who stands for progress has to criticize, disbelieve and challenge every item of the old faith."

Assembly case trial, jail term, and execution

Post a preliminary hearing in May, the trial in the case began in the first week of June. On June 12, both Singh and Dutt were sentenced to life imprisonment for causing explosions of a nature likely to endanger life, unlawfully and maliciously. 

In 1929, his associates Sukhdev, Kishori Lal, and Jai Gopal were arrested in connection with setting up bomb factories in Lahore and Saharanpur. As the investigation in the case furthered, the police connected the dots of  Saunders murder, Assembly bombing, and bomb manufacture. 

Bhagat Singh who considered himself as a political prisoner, along with others, noted the discrimination between the European and the Indin prisoners. The political prisoners demanded equality in food standards, clothing, toiletries, and other hygienic necessities, as well as access to books and a daily newspaper.

Singh along with other prisoners underwent a hunger strike. Failed attempts were made to break the strike by the government. With the nationwide popularity of the hunger strike, the government decided to advance the Lahore Conspiracy Case Singh was transported to Bostal Jail in Lahore and the trial began on 10 July 1929.  

Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were hanged to death in Lahore Conspiracy Case on 23 March 1931 at 7:30 pm.

Join us, follow us....
Follow on Telegram – Click Here
Follow Whats apps Channel – Click Here
Join Google News Group – Click Here