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 Bhagat
Singh was born in a Sikh family of farmers in the village of
Banga of Layalpur district of Punjab (now in Pakistan) on
September 27th of 1907. His family stood for patriotism,
reform, and freedom of the country. His grandfather Arjun
Singh was drawn to Arya Samaj, a reformist movement of
Hinduism, and took keen interest in proceedings of the Indian
National Congress. Bhagat Singh's father Kishen Singh and
uncle Ajit Singh were members of Gadar Party founded in the
U.S. in early years of the 20th century to route British rule
in India. Both were jailed for alleged anti-British
activities. Ajit Singh had 22 cases against him and was forced
to flee to Iran. Thereafter he went to Turkey, Austria,
Germany and finally to Brazil to escape Black Water (Kalapani)
punishment for his revolutionary activities in India.
Young Bhagat
Singh was brought up in a politically charged state of Punjab
which was left with a seething memory of the Jalianwala Bagh
massacre of more than 400 innocent lives and thousands
injured (1919). As a lad of fourteen he went to this spot to
collect soil from the park of Jalianwala (bagh) in his lunch
box, sanctified by the blood of the innocent and kept it as a
memento for life.
Bhagat Singh
was studying at the National College founded by Lala Lajpat
Rai, a great revolutionary leader and reformist. To avoid
early marriage, he ran away from home and, became a member of
the youth organization Noujawan Bharat Sabha which had
memberships of all sects and religions. He met Chandra Shekhar
Sharma (Azaad), B.K. Dutt and other revolutionaries. They used
to print handouts and newspapers in secret and spread
political awareness in India through Urdu, Punjabi and
English. These were all banned activities in India at the
time, punishable with imprisonment.
Anti-British
feelings were spreading; Indians wanted some proper
representation in running the administration of their country
to which British reciprocated only on paper. Noticing
restlessness was spreading, the British Government appointed a
commission under the leadership of Sir John Simon in 1928, to
report on political happenings. There was no single Indian
member in this commission, and all the political parties
decided to boycott the commission when it planned to visit
major cities of India.
In Lahore, Lala
Lajpat Rai and Pandit Madan Mohan Malavia decided to protest
to the commission in open about their displeasure. It was a
silent protest march, yet the police chief Mr. Scott had
banned meetings or processions. Thousands joined, without
giving room for any untoward incident. Even then, Mr. Scott
beat Mr. Lala Lajpat Rai severely with a lathi (bamboo stick)
on the head several times. Finally the leader succumbed to the
injuries.
Bhagat Singh
who was an eye witness to the morbid scene vowed to take
revenge and with the help of Azaad, Rajguru and Sukhdev
plotted to kill Scott. Unfortunately he killed Mr. Sanders, a
junior officer, in a case of mistaken identity. He had to flee
from Lahore to escape death punishment.
Instead of
finding the root cause for discontent of Indians, the British
government took to more repressive measures. Under the Defense
of India Act, it gave more power to the police to arrest
persons to stop processions with suspicious movements and
actions. The act brought in the council was defeated by one
vote. Even then it was to be passed in the form of an
ordinance in the "interest of the public." No doubt the
British were keen to arrest all leaders who opposed its
arbitrary actions, and Bhagat Singh who was in hiding all this
while, volunteered to throw a bomb in the central assembly
where the meeting to pass the ordinance was being held. It was
a carefully laid out plot, not to cause death or injury but to
draw the attention of the government, that the modes of its
suppression could no more be tolerated. It was agreed that
Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt would court arrest after
throwing the bomb.
It was a
forgone conclusion in 1929 April 8th at Delhi Central
Assembly. Singh and Dutt threw handouts, and bombed in the
corridor not to cause injury and courted arrest after shouting
slogans Inquilab Zindabad (Long Live, Revolution!)
Meanwhile the
killers of Sanders were identified by the treachery of Bhagat
Singh's friends who became "Approvers." Bhagat Singh thought
the court would be a proper venue to get publicity for the
cause of freedom, and did not want to disown the crime. But he
gave a fiery statement giving reasons for killing which was
symbolic of freedom struggle. He wanted to be shot like a
soldier, and not die at the gallows. But, his plea was
rejected, and he was hanged on the 23rd of March 1931. He was
24.
Bhagat Singh
became a legendary hero for the masses. Innumerable songs were
composed about him, and the youth throughout the country made
him their idol. He became a symbol of bravery and of the
struggle to free India.
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