He started an
independent
press and brought out a
paper known as “The Gadar.
paper known as “The Gadar.
Cambridge History of India - v4 - Indian Empire
That was to be done by "soul-
stirring music and theatrical performances glorifying the lives of
heroes and their great deeds in the cause of freedom and by patrio-
The Government was to be kept busy by means of
Bande Mataram processions, Swadeshi conferences and boycott
meetings. Youngmen were to be recruited, organized in small
bands and trained in physical exercises and use of weapons and
were to be taught absolute obedience to rules and the leaders.
Weapons were to be manufactured, purchased from foreign coun-
tries and smuggled into the country or manufactured in the coun-
try itself. Money was to be raised for the Terrorist Movement by
means of raids and dacoities. The belief was that “the law of the
English is established on brute force and if to liberate ourselves we
tic songs.
## p. 751 (#792) ############################################
750
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
bombs were thrown but they did not explode in time.
When all this was happening, V. D. Savarkar was in Paris and
he decided to go back to London to resume his work. Shyamji
Krishna Varma and Lala Hardayal and Madame Cama tried to
dissuade him from taking the risk but he refused to accept their
advice and went to London. As soon as he reached London, he
was arrested on March 13, 1910. Apprehending his death to be
near, Savarkar wrote the following letter to his brother's wife:
"We had taken a solemn pledge to free our country from political
slavery. We are proud to lay down our lives one by one to attain
our goal. It is a great day from the day of the fruition of all
my aspirations. I am extremely glad that I have done my bit to
free my mother from the shackles of bondage. Oh my Mother-
land! I have already offered at your feet my youth, my pleasures,
my sweet home, my purse and my brother and sister. Here am I
ready to offer my body. Thanked be they who have dedicated
their lives to the service of the nation. Dear sister-in-law, enter-
tain such thoughts and hold on to your pledge and add lustre to
the fair name of the family. " The view of the Government of
India was that V. D. Savarkar had a hand in the Nasik Conspiracy
and consequently orders were passed for his removal to India.
He tried to escape when his ship was near the Port of Marseilles.
He jumped into the sea and successfully reached the shore but
was illegally caught by British officers on the French soil. On
reaching India, he was put up for trial. He was convicted and
sentenced to 50 years' imprisonment and transportation on March
22, 1911. He was sent to the Andamans at the age of 28. It is
stated that when the Jailor came to know that he was put in Jail
for 50 years, he exclaimed: “Oh God! Fifty years. ” The reply of
Savarkar was “why worry! fifty years. Is the British ruie going to
survive these fifty years? " In 1924, Savarkar was brought to India
along with his brother Ganesh. He was released in 1937 when the
Congress Ministry came to power.
Sardar Singh Rana was closely associated with the editing of
the papers like the Vande Mataram, Indian Freedom and Talwar.
He gave money when Hem Chandra was sent to Russia by the
revolutionaries to learn the technique of making the bomb. He
was responsible for the smuggling of twenty automatic shining pis-
tols and bullets into India and one of those bullets was used for
killing Jackson. During the First World War, he was sent to a
remote Island from where he was released after the end of the war.
Madame Cama also made her contribution towards the cause of
India's freedom. She attended the International Socialist Confer-
ence held in Germany in 1907 along with Sardar Singh Rana and
>
## p. 751 (#793) ############################################
TERRORIST AND REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS 751
there unfurled the National flag of India. She urged all the free-
dom-loving nations of the world to help the cause of India's free-
dom. In December 1908, she moved a resolution for the boycott
of foreign goods. In 1914, she was arrested and deported. She
came to India in 1934 but died in 1936.
Revolutionary propaganda was carried on in Bengal by Barindra
Kumar Ghosh, the younger brother of Aurobindo, and Bhupendra
Nath Dutt, the brother of Swami Vivekanand. To begin with,
Barindra Kumar tried to preach “the cause of Independence as a
political missionary. ” However, later on he was convinced that
purely political propaganda was not enough. He started the
Yugantar and through its columns carried on the work of educat-
ing the masses. In an article, he expounded his revolutionary gos-
pel in these words: "Shri Krishna had said in Gita that whenever
there is a decline of righteousness and a rise in unrighteousness,
there shall be a reincarnation of God to rescue the good, to destroy
the wrongdoer and to establish righteousness. ” Again, “At the
present time, righteousness is declining and unrighteousness is
springing up in India. A handful of alien robbers are ruining the
crores of the people of India by robbing the wealth of India.
Through the hard grinding of their servitude, the ribs of the count-
less people are being broken to pieces. Fear not, Oh Indians, God
will not remain inactive. He will keep His word. Placing firm
reliance on the promises of God, invoke His power. When the
lightning of Heaven flashes in their hearts, men perform impossible
deeds. "
A programme was chalked out and it consisted of six items.
Hatred was to be created in the minds of the educated people of
India against servitude by vigorous propaganda in the press. The
fear of unemployment and starvation was to be removed from the
minds of the Indians and love of freedom and of the Motherland
was to be inculcated in them. That was to be done by “soul-
stirring music and theatrical performances glorifying the lives of
heroes and their great deeds in the cause of freedom and by patrio-
The Government was to be kept busy by means of
Bande Mataram processions, Swadeshi conferences and boycott
meetings. Youngmen were to be recruited, organized in small
bands and trained in physical exercises and use of weapons and
were to be taught absolute obedience to rules and the leaders.
Weapons were to be manufactured, purchased from foreign coun-
tries and smuggled into the country or manufactured in the coun-
try itself. Money was to be raised for the Terrorist Movement by
means of raids and dacoities. The belief was that "the law of the
English is established on brute force and if to liberate ourselves we
>
tic songs.
## p. 752 (#794) ############################################
752
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
too must use brute force, it is right that we should do sc. ” An
appeal was made to the youngmen of Bengal in these words: "Will
the Bengali worshipper of Shakti shrink from the shedding of blood ?
The number of Englishmen in this country is not above one lac
and a half, and what is the number of English officials in each
district? If you are firm in your resolution, you can in a single
day bring British rule to an end. Lay down your life, but first
take a life. The worship of the goddess will not be consummated
if you sacrifice your lives at the shrine of Independence without
shedding blood. ”
As a result of the efforts made by Barindra Kumar Ghosh and
Bhupendra Nath Dutt and their associates, a number of revolutio-
nary societies were set up and one of them was the Anusilan Samiti
or Society for the Promotion of Culture and Training. The Society
had its branches in Calcutta and Dacca. It was modelled on the
same line as the secret societies of Italy and Russia. It embarked
upon a programme of wholesale terrorism. On December 6, 1907,
an attempt was made to blow up the train in which the Lieutenant-
Governor was travelling. On December 23, 1907, Mr. Allen who
was formerly the District Magistrate of Dacca, was shot in the
back but the injury did not prove to be fatal. On April 30, 1908,
Mrs. and Miss Kennedy were murdered. The facts were that Mr.
Kingsford was hated by the terrorists on account of the heavy
punishments inflicted by him on the Swadeshi workers. What was
resented particularly was the infliction of corporal punishment on
respectable youngmen. Susil Sen, a boy of fifteen, was flogged in
public for the offence that he was mixed up in a Police fracas. The
terrorists decided to murder him and a clever device was prepared
to achieve the objective. What was done was that the middle
portions of the leaves of a book borrowed from Mr. Kingsford were
cut out and a bomb was put into the hollow thus created. It was
thought that when Mr. Kingsford would open the book, the bomb
would burst and kill him. The scheme was not successful as Mr.
Kingsford did not require the book immediately and thc same was
never opened. Another device was thought of to murder Kings-
ford. Khudi Ram Bose and Profulla Chakie were deputed for that
purpose. When both of them were going to the Bungalow of Mr.
Kingsford, they saw a carriage coming from that direction. They
thought that the occupant of the carriage was Mr. Kingsford and
they threw the bomb into the carriage. What happened was that
Mrs. and Miss Kennedy were killed by the bomb. Profulla Chakie
shot himself but Khudi Ram Bose was arrested, tried and hanged.
Khudi Ram became a martyr and a hero. Students and many
others put on mourning for him. Schools were closed for two or
## p. 753 (#795) ############################################
TERRORIST AND REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS 753
three days as a tribute to his memory. His photographs had an
immense sale. By and by, the youngmen began to wear Dhoties
with Khudi Ram Bose's name woven into the borders of garments.
The Government was able to unearth a conspiracy in Calcutta
and also captured some bombs, dynamite, cartridges and the corres-
pondence which led to the arrest and trial of about 39 persons in-
cluding Aurobindo Ghosh, Bhupendra Nath Dutt, Hem Chandra
Das and Narinder Gosain. Kanai Lal Dutt and S. N. Bose were
separately tried and executed. Heavy punishments were inflicted
.
on the remaining 36 accused. Narinder Gosain became an appro-
ver, but he was shot dead by his companions in the jail. Nand
Lal, the Sub-Inspector who had arrested Khudi Ram Bose, was
murdered. Ashutosh Biswas who had acted as Public Prosecutor
in the Gosain Murder case and the Alipore case was shot dead.
Shams-ul-Alam, Deputy Superintendent of Police, who was con-
nected with the Alipore case, was also shot dead. On November
7, 1908, an attempt was made to shoot Sir Andrew Frazer, the
Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, but the attempt failed. The ter-
rorists of Bengal did not spare the Police officers, Magistrates,
Prosecuting Lawyers, hostile witnesses, traitors, betrayers and ap-
provers. One and all, they were all shot. The consequences were
absolutely immaterial to the revolutionaries.
In 1907, B. C. Pal toured the Madras Presidency and preached
the gospel of Swaraj. He was imprisoned for six months for his
refusal to give evidence against Shri Aurobindo. When he was
released, two of his admirers from Madras celebrated his release
by holding a public meeting, hoisting the flag of Swaraj and pledg-
ing to boycott everything foreign. Both of them were arrested by
the Government and that led to a riot at Tinnevelly. The Sedition
Committee Report says: “It was marked by wholesale and delibe-
rate destruction of Governmnet property in open defiance of the
constituted authority. ” Every public building in Tinnevelly, except
the Sub-Registrar's Office, was attacked. The furniture and re-
cords of these buildings set on fire as well as portions of the build-
ings themselves; the municipal office was gutted. Twenty-seven
were convicted and sentenced for participation in the riot.
Pondicherry was also the centre of revolutionary work. M. P.
Tiruhal Acharya and V. V. S. Aiyer were the guiding spirits. Aiyer
prepared the youngmen at Pondicherry by giving them training in
the use of revolvers. One of the trainees was Vanchi Aiyer who
shot Mr. Ashe, the District Magistrate of Tinnevelley, on June 17,
1911. He was arrested, tried and executed. His companions were
also arrested, tried and executed in the Tinnevelly Conspiracy case.
Lord Hardinge decided to shift the capital of India from Cal-
## p. 754 (#796) ############################################
754
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
cutta to Delhi. When he was entering in the city of Delhi in a
procession, a bomb exploded. It injured the Viceroy and killed his
A. D. C. The bomb was thrown by Ras Bihari Bose. There was
a lot of confusion and Ras Bihari managed to escape. The Govern-
ment did its level best to find out the culprit. A reward of
Rs. 7,500 was announced for the arrest of Ras Bihari Bose. He
was chased from place to place but every time he managed to escape.
He went away to Japan under a fictitious name.
He played an
important role in organising the Indian National Army in Japan.
He died in 1945.
DELHI CONSPIRACY CASE
The action taken by the Government in connection with the
bomb thrown on Lord Hardinge is known as the Delhi Conspiracy
Case. Thirteen persons had been arrested in that connection. The
names of some of them were Miaster Amir Chand, his adopted son
Sultan Chand, Dina Nath, Bhai Balmukund, Bal Raj Bhalla, Basant
Kumar and Avadh Bihari. Two of them were sentenced to seven
years' imprisonment and four of them were hanged. Dina Nath
became an approver. During the trial in 1914, the Police produced
in the Court a letter written by Master Amir Chand and that let-
ter contained the following passage: "Constitutional struggles and
agitations have borne no fruit. The only effective and unfailing
means to liberate our country is that of armed revolution. History
testifies to the fact that the rulers never offer independence on a
silver platter. They surrender it to the threat of sword. ” It is
stated that when Avadh Behari was going to be hanged, an English-
man asked him as to what was his last wish. His reply was: “The
end of the British Rule. ” When the Englishman advised him to
die peacefully, Avadh Behari replied: "Peace? I wish that a confia-
gration may break out in the country gutting the British rule. Let
my country emerge out of this tire like pure gold. ”
February 21, 1915 was fixed for an all-India revolt and vigorous
preparations were made for that purpose. Ras Bihari Bose,
Suchindra Sanyal, Ganesh Pingale and Bagi Kartar Singh prepar-
ed a master plan for that purpose. Bomb factories were set up at
Ludhiana, Amritsar, etc. Indian troops were contacted and persuad-
ed to revolt on that date. Some revolutionaries raided the Moga
Treasury in the Punjab. Two revolutionaries were killed and
several were arrested. They were also hanged. The all-India re-
volt failed because one Kirpal Singh passed on all the secret plans
to the Government. Many places were raided and bombs were
recovered. Secret papers were also captured by the Government.
## p. 755 (#797) ############################################
DELHI CONSPIRACY CASE
755
Most of the ring leaders of the Punjab fell into the hands of the
Police. Luckily, Ras Bihari Bose, Ganesh Pingale and Bagi Kartar
Singh escaped. Ganesh Pingale got down at Meerut and was
handed over to the government by a Muslim Inspector with whom
he stayed. He was hanged on November 16, 1915. His last words
were: “Oh God! May the task left incomplete by me be executed
by you. My only wish is that my country may be free. ” Kartar
Singh was also caught later on and sentenced to death along with
Jagat Singh, Bhai Parmanand, Man Singh and Udham Singh.
Many others were transportated for life. The death sentence of
Bhai Parmanand was later on commuted to life imprisonment. It
is stated that Chief Justice was inclined to commute the death sen-
tence of Kartar Singh also, but the latter said: “I prefer gallows to
life sentence. I wish I were born again to unfetter my mother-
land. I shall be glad to be hanged every time I am reborn till my
country achieves independence. ”
Lala Hardayal was a great philosopher and a powerful orator.
In 1913, he called a rally of revolutionary workers in a town of
California.
He started an independent press and brought out a
paper known as “The Gadar. ” It was published in English, Hindi,
Urdu, Bengali, Marathi and Gurmukhi. The copies of this news-
paper were sent to all those countries where Indians lived. There
was a great demand for this paper in Japan, China, Singapore,
Germany and Canada. The newspaper condemned the mis-deeds
of the British Government in India and also explained the objects
of the Gadar Movement.
In 1913, a few thousand Indians lived in Canada and most of
them were Sikhs. They were subjected to all kinds of indignities.
The Canadian Government did not like their presence in their coun-
try and was anxious to stop their flow. With that object in view,
a law was passed by which only those Indians were allowed to land
in Canada who were direct passengers from Calcutta. The Cana-
dian Government knew full well that there were no direct services
from India to Canada and hence indirectly the immigration of
Indians into Canada would stop. Baba Gurdit Singh who was a
very rich Indian in Canada, came forward to help the Indians. He
floated a shipping company known as the Guru Nanak Navigation
Company and hired a Japanese ship called Komagata Maru. The
ship reached Calcutta and was able to accommodate 500 Indian
passengers. When the ship reached the Port of Vancouver on May
22, 1914, the Canadian authorities did not allow her to enter the
harbour. The passengers were not allowed to land even on the
shore. The ship was not allowed even to unload the goods. The
Canadian authorities acted in a very cruel manner. Although the
## p. 756 (#798) ############################################
756
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
passengers were suffering terribly, the Canadian Government was
not moved by their plight. An effort was made by the Canadian
authorities to throw boiling water on the passengers. Finally, the
Canadian Government sent two warships to sink the Komagata
Maru. After about two months of stay in the Canadian waters,
the Komagata Maru started on her return voyage on July 23, 1914.
The passengers had to suffer even on the return journey as the
British Government did not allow the ship to enter the harbours of
Hongkong and Singapore. On September 26, 1914, the ship reach-
ed the Budge Budge harbour near Calcutta. The Government of
India ordered the passengers of the ship to enter the special train
which was kept ready to take them away. As the passengers refus-
ed to get into the train, they were forcibly dragged and put in the
train. Some of the passengers resisted and while doing so used
American revolvers. 18 Sikhs were killed and many more were
wounded. Although Baba Gurdit Singh was injured, he managed
to escape. The occurrences connected with the Komagata Maru
created a lot of bitterness among the Indians in general and the
Sikhs in particular. Bhai Bhag Singh and Bhai Vatan Singh led
an agitation against the Canadian authorities for the repeal of the
law against the immigration of the Indians. Mr. Hopkins who
was the chief of the Immigration Section of Canada, became the
target and he was killed by one Mewa Singh. The Gadar Party also
intensified its propaganda against the Government of India. In
the issue of August 18, 1914, the Gadar Party gave the following
instructions: "Spread the literature of revolution; help and encour-
age all resistance, armed and passive; destroy the railway lines,
withdraw all your funds from British Banks and inspire the Indian
army to strike on every point against the Firangis. ”
Lala Hardayal went to Gerinany to negotiate with William II,
the German Emperor. He sent thousands of recruits and a lot of
explosive materials to India. Raja Mahendra Pratap set up a
provisional government at Kabul. It was agreed that thc Muslims
of Iran, Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan would take up arms against
the British Government after getting help from Germany and
Turkey. The Sikhs of the Punjab were also to revolt Unfortu-
nately, the whole plan for the revolt of 1915 leaked out and nothing
came out.
THE KAKORI CASE
The revolutionaries were in great need of money for the manu-
facture of bombs and consequently a few revolutionaries boarded
the train on August 9, 1915, on the Lucknow-Saharanpur line. The
## p. 757 (#799) ############################################
THE KAKORI CASE
757
revolutionaries had with them revolvers and cartridges. After the
departure of the train from Kakori Railway station, one of the revo-
lutionaries pulled the alarm chain of the train. When the train
stopped, the revolutionaries tried to take away the money from the
Iron Box in the train which was broken open with great effort with
hammer-blows by Ashfaq. Unfortunately, the revolutionaries were
-
able to get Rs. 5,000 only. The Government took action and
arrested about 40 persons and sent them for trial. That case is
known as the Kakori case. The trial concluded on April 7, 1927.
It was a mere farce. Pt. Ram Parsad Bismil, Roshan Singh and
Rajindra Lahri were given death sentence. Manmath Nath Gupta
got 14 years and many others got death sentences. Ashfaq and
Suchendra Nath Bakshi were caught later on and were given death
sentence and transportation for life respectively. Ram Parsad Bis-
mil was hanged on December 19, 1927. His mother is said to
have observed thus about her son: “I am greatly proud to have
given birth to a soldier of freedom who laid down his life at the
feet of his motherland. Your country has greater claim on you
than I have. You have fallen for a noble cause and I see no reason
to feel sorry. ” A little before his death, Ashfaq Ullah gave the fol-
lowing message to his countrymen: "We have played our role on
the political stage of our country. Right or wrong all our actions
were motivated by the lofty object of securing independence. I
know my actions will elicit praise from some quarters and criticism
from the other, but as a true revolutionary I am indifferent to such
remarks. One thing I beg to clarify before I die. It never had
been our object to create terror in the country. Our trial has
lasted for such a long time but tell me if ever we tried to shoot down
an approver or a prosecution witness. That is not in our line. My
only wish is that my country-men may, irrespectiv of their
religion or creed, unite like a solid bloc to smash the citadel of
British rule. The British are the common enemies of all the
religious sections of our country. It is the moral duty of every
Indian to dig the grave of the British bureaucracy. I am far from
being a murderer as has been established by the prosecution. I am
rather proud of being the first Musalman to lay down my life at
the altar of India's freedom. ”
The people of India had boycotted the Simon Commission but
in spite of that the Commission visited Lahore on October 20, 1928.
The Hindustan Socialist Republican Party took out a huge proces-
sion against the Simon Commission. The processionists were shout-
ing: “Simon, go back. ” Lala Lajpat Rai was leading the proces-
sion. One Mr. I. P. Saunders gave blows on the head and chest of
Lala Lajpat Rai with his baton and thereby caused grievous injuries
9
## p. 758 (#800) ############################################
758
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
9
on his person. While addressing the public meeting in the same
evening at the Bradlaugh Hall, Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai declared:
“The Government which attacks its own innocent subjects has no
claim to be called a civilized Government. Bear in mind, such a
Government does not survive long. I declare that the blows struck
at me will be the last nails in the coffin of British rule in India. "
Lala Lajpat Rai died on November 17, 1928, as a result of the
injuries received by him. That was too much for the people of
India and nobody who had inflicted those injuries on Lalaji could
be forgiven. Addressing a public meeting, Shrimati Basanti Debi,
the wife of C. R. Das, observed thus: “My blood boils with rage to
think that Lalaji, who had beer. so aged and so dear to his country-
men, has been beaten to death by that brute English pclice officer.
It is a challenge to the youth and manliness of 300 million Indians.
On behalf of the women of India, I want a reply to my question
whether Indian youths are dead or alive. Is there nobody from
the young generation of India io step forward and respond to my
question? ” The reply was given by Sardar Bhagat Singh and his
companions. It was decided to kill Mr. Scott who had ordered the
lathi charge and Mr. Saunders who had killed Lalaji. On Decem-
ber 17, 1928, when Saunders was approaching the police gate on
his bicycle, he was shot by Rajguru and he was followed by Bhagat
Singh who tore the head of Saunders to pieces by pistol shots. All
the revolutionaries took refuge in the D. A. V. College, Lahore and
then managed to slip away to Simla.
Within 5 days of the incident, the following posters were found
on the walls of the city of Lahore:
"HINDUSTAN SOCIALIST REPUBLICAN PARTY
NOTICE
BEWARE BUREAUCRACY
“This killing of I. P. Saunders was only to avenge fully the mur-
der of Lala Lajpat Rai. It was indeed a sad and shameful episode
that so mean a fellow like I. P. Saunders should dare to deliver
blows on the chest of the old and most respected person worshipped
by a nation of thirty-five crores of Indians. That was indeed an
affront to the nation. By that insult of the Indian Nation, the
foreign power had as if thrown a challenge to the self-respecting
and brave sons of the soil. This reply will surely convince the
people and the foreign power that the Indian Nation is indeed not
yet dead or spiritless to bear such insults. The people of Bharat
have fresh blood flowing in their veins. Young India is up and
## p. 759 (#801) ############################################
SARDAR BHAGAT SINGH
759
ready to guard the honour of the nation even at the stake and sacri-
fice of life.
"Beware, you, Tyrant of Government !
“Do not hereafter try to touch the provoked feelings of the people
that are already exploited and harassed. Hold your devilish
hands! Remember that in spite all your laws and endeavours to
keep us disarmed a flood of pistols and revolvers will always flow
into the hands of the youth of the country. Though it may be
admitted that no armed revolution can be accomplished with a
sprinkling of arms yet they will indeed be enough to wreak ven-
geance for the repeated national insults which the administration
indulges in from time to time. Our so-called national leaders may
condemn and reproach our actions, and the foreign Government
may try their utmost to crush our organisation. But we want to
make it clear here that we shall ever be ready to safeguard our
national honour and to teach lessons to all the foreign aggrandisers.
We shall never permit the cry of revolution to languish even under
the encirclement of oppression and suppression all around; bear in
mind that even with the noose knot of death round our necks, we
shall always shout and cheer 'Long Live Revolution. '
“We are really sorry that we had to kill a human being. But
the man whom we had to shoot down was a part and parcel of
such cruel, mean and unjust administration of a foreign power that
we had no alternative but to overthrow him. This man is killed
only in his capacity as a representative of the British power in India.
British Power is undoubtedly the most tyrannical one in the world.
“We again repeat that we are sorry that we had to shed human
blood. But it becomes inevitable to shed blood on the altar of
revolution, which will end all exploitation of man at the hands of
man.
“Long Live Revolution.
Sd/- (BALRAJ)
18th December, 1928.
Commander: Punjab HSRA. ”
>
Another incident took place on April 8, 1929. After the ques-
tion hour was over in the Central Legislative Assembly in New
Delhi, Sardar Bhagat Singh threw a bomb on the wall which ex-
ploded with a thundering boom. Two bullets were fired to frigh-
ten the Speaker of the House. When the smoke ended, Sardar
Bhagat Singh threw leaflets into the hall and those read thus:
“Bombs are needed to let the deaf hear. ” Sardar Bhagat Singh
could have run away but he surrendered himself to the police.
Sardar Bhagat Singh and his companions were put up for trial and
ultimately condemned to death. In the course of his lengthy state-
## p. 760 (#802) ############################################
760
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
ment in the court, Sardar Bhagat Singh observed thus: “Our sole
object was to warn the listless and to wake up the deaf. Many
others are thinking just like us. The bombs which were thrown
were intentionally so manufactured as to cause insignificant dam-
age, and they were thrown also in such a clear place as to produce
the least injury to anybody. Under the apparent calm on the sur-
face of the Indian mind there is a ceaseless terrible seething discon-
tent on the point of bursting into a storm. Our action is merely
a danger-signal to those who are rushing ahead thoughtlessly with-
out caring for the serious consequences before them. We have, as
if, heralded the end of the era of non-violence, the idealist dream,
about whose utter failure the young generation is now doubtlessly
convinced. We have adopted this course of striking a warning
purely out of our love and good-will for humanity to ward off the
unheard of harassments and hardships. The new spirit, notice of
whose dawn has been just given by us, is really inspired by the
idealism of Guru Govind Singh, Shivaji, Mustafa Kamal Pasha,
Raza Khan, Washington, Garibaldi, Lafayette and Lenin. It was
because the Government and the Indian leaders had closed their
eyes and ears that we had to sound that warning to attract their
attention. . . . .
“It will be readily accepted that we had no personal prejudice
or hatred against any individual in the House or against any one
who had received minor injuries. On the other hand, we emphati-
cally reassert that we hold all human life as sacred beyond des-
cription. Instead of inflicting injuries on any one else, we are
ready to offer ourselves to be sacrificed for the sake of humanity.
The mental attitude of mercenary soldiers in the Imperial armies
trained to mercilessly kill the humanity is not in our character.
When we surrendered, it was purely out of the sole thought to
suffer the atonement of our actions. We wanted to warn the
Imperialist exploiters that they could never destroy the truth by
crushing a few individuals. A whole nation cannot be suppressed
by doing away with a couple of persons. Bastile could not pre-
vent the French Revolution. Exiles in Siberia could not liquidate
the Russian Revolution. The bloody Sundays could noi arrest the
course of Irish struggle for Independence. How could then these
atrocious measures extinguish the flame of freedom burning bright
in the Indian mind? . . . .
“The opponents of revolution mistakenly believe that revolution
means violence with arms, weapons and such other means. But
revolution is not confined to this process. It may be that these
are used as instruments but it should not be forgotten hat behind
them is the solid strength and spirit of the revolution and that
## p. 761 (#803) ############################################
CHANDRA SHEKHAR AZAD
761
strength is the will, the aspiration of the people to demand and get
a change, a revolution in the current economic structure, the shape
and form of political Government of the nation. Our idea of
revolution has never been simply the bloodshad of some individuals.
It is to end the present regime of exploitation of man by man and
to secure for our nation absolute right of self-determination. That
is the ultimate objective of our idea of revolution. Freedom is the
birth-right of man. We welcome any amount of suffering and
sacrifice that might fall to our lot for this idealism and devotion
to it. Long live that Revolution. "
The Tribunal which tried Sardar Bhagat Singh and his compa-
nions gave its decision on October 7, 1930 and Sardar Bhagat
Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdeo were hanged at Lahore on March
23, 1931. Unfortunately, the dead bodies of these heroes were
taken by the Government to Ferozepore and an attempt was made
to burn them on the banks of the river Sutlej. However, the people
came to know of it and were able to recover the half-burnt dead
bodies. Those were taken to Lahore and cremated there with
great honours.
A reference must be made to the work of Chandra Shekhar Azad,
Bhagwati Charan and Yash Pal. Azad was a fearless person who
was determined to liberate his country even at the cost of his life.
He had a hand in the Kakori conspiracy case but he managed to
escape. He helped Sardar Bhagat Singh in his attack against
Saunders. His efforts to take Sardar Bhagat Singh out of the jail
failed. Efforts were also made to persuade the Viceroy to con-
done the death sentence passed on Sardar Bhagat Singh and his
companions. When all that failed, Chandra Shekhar Azad and
Yash Pal chalked out a plan to blow up the train carrying Lord
Irwin. When on December 23, 1929, the train carrying the Vice-
roy left the Nizamuddin Railway Station near New Delhi, a bomb
exploded and the train was derailed. The dining car was shattered
to pieces. However, Lord Irwin escaped unhurt.
On February 27, 1931, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Yash Pal and
Surendra Pandey assembled at Allahabad to finalize their plans
for getting help from Russia for fighting India's battle for freedom.
Yash Pal and Surendra Pandey left Azad in the Alfred Park to
meet another revolutionary. While Azad was still in that Park,
he found himself surrounded by armed police. He fought bravely
against the police party with revolvers in his both hands. His
body was punctured with bullets. While he used the other bul-
lets on his enemies, the last bullet he used on himself and thus died
a great man who could have helped to solve free India's problems.
Yash Pal was selected the Commander-in-Chief of the Hindustan
## p. 762 (#804) ############################################
762
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
Socialist Republican Army after the death of Azad. The Govern-
ment announced big rewards for information leading to his arrest.
He re-organized the Revolutionary Army and made a declaration
of a general revolt. He was caught by the police because his
revolver did not work. He was sentenced to 14 years' rigorous
imprisonment but was released by the Congress Ministry in March,
1938.
stirring music and theatrical performances glorifying the lives of
heroes and their great deeds in the cause of freedom and by patrio-
The Government was to be kept busy by means of
Bande Mataram processions, Swadeshi conferences and boycott
meetings. Youngmen were to be recruited, organized in small
bands and trained in physical exercises and use of weapons and
were to be taught absolute obedience to rules and the leaders.
Weapons were to be manufactured, purchased from foreign coun-
tries and smuggled into the country or manufactured in the coun-
try itself. Money was to be raised for the Terrorist Movement by
means of raids and dacoities. The belief was that “the law of the
English is established on brute force and if to liberate ourselves we
tic songs.
## p. 751 (#792) ############################################
750
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
bombs were thrown but they did not explode in time.
When all this was happening, V. D. Savarkar was in Paris and
he decided to go back to London to resume his work. Shyamji
Krishna Varma and Lala Hardayal and Madame Cama tried to
dissuade him from taking the risk but he refused to accept their
advice and went to London. As soon as he reached London, he
was arrested on March 13, 1910. Apprehending his death to be
near, Savarkar wrote the following letter to his brother's wife:
"We had taken a solemn pledge to free our country from political
slavery. We are proud to lay down our lives one by one to attain
our goal. It is a great day from the day of the fruition of all
my aspirations. I am extremely glad that I have done my bit to
free my mother from the shackles of bondage. Oh my Mother-
land! I have already offered at your feet my youth, my pleasures,
my sweet home, my purse and my brother and sister. Here am I
ready to offer my body. Thanked be they who have dedicated
their lives to the service of the nation. Dear sister-in-law, enter-
tain such thoughts and hold on to your pledge and add lustre to
the fair name of the family. " The view of the Government of
India was that V. D. Savarkar had a hand in the Nasik Conspiracy
and consequently orders were passed for his removal to India.
He tried to escape when his ship was near the Port of Marseilles.
He jumped into the sea and successfully reached the shore but
was illegally caught by British officers on the French soil. On
reaching India, he was put up for trial. He was convicted and
sentenced to 50 years' imprisonment and transportation on March
22, 1911. He was sent to the Andamans at the age of 28. It is
stated that when the Jailor came to know that he was put in Jail
for 50 years, he exclaimed: “Oh God! Fifty years. ” The reply of
Savarkar was “why worry! fifty years. Is the British ruie going to
survive these fifty years? " In 1924, Savarkar was brought to India
along with his brother Ganesh. He was released in 1937 when the
Congress Ministry came to power.
Sardar Singh Rana was closely associated with the editing of
the papers like the Vande Mataram, Indian Freedom and Talwar.
He gave money when Hem Chandra was sent to Russia by the
revolutionaries to learn the technique of making the bomb. He
was responsible for the smuggling of twenty automatic shining pis-
tols and bullets into India and one of those bullets was used for
killing Jackson. During the First World War, he was sent to a
remote Island from where he was released after the end of the war.
Madame Cama also made her contribution towards the cause of
India's freedom. She attended the International Socialist Confer-
ence held in Germany in 1907 along with Sardar Singh Rana and
>
## p. 751 (#793) ############################################
TERRORIST AND REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS 751
there unfurled the National flag of India. She urged all the free-
dom-loving nations of the world to help the cause of India's free-
dom. In December 1908, she moved a resolution for the boycott
of foreign goods. In 1914, she was arrested and deported. She
came to India in 1934 but died in 1936.
Revolutionary propaganda was carried on in Bengal by Barindra
Kumar Ghosh, the younger brother of Aurobindo, and Bhupendra
Nath Dutt, the brother of Swami Vivekanand. To begin with,
Barindra Kumar tried to preach “the cause of Independence as a
political missionary. ” However, later on he was convinced that
purely political propaganda was not enough. He started the
Yugantar and through its columns carried on the work of educat-
ing the masses. In an article, he expounded his revolutionary gos-
pel in these words: "Shri Krishna had said in Gita that whenever
there is a decline of righteousness and a rise in unrighteousness,
there shall be a reincarnation of God to rescue the good, to destroy
the wrongdoer and to establish righteousness. ” Again, “At the
present time, righteousness is declining and unrighteousness is
springing up in India. A handful of alien robbers are ruining the
crores of the people of India by robbing the wealth of India.
Through the hard grinding of their servitude, the ribs of the count-
less people are being broken to pieces. Fear not, Oh Indians, God
will not remain inactive. He will keep His word. Placing firm
reliance on the promises of God, invoke His power. When the
lightning of Heaven flashes in their hearts, men perform impossible
deeds. "
A programme was chalked out and it consisted of six items.
Hatred was to be created in the minds of the educated people of
India against servitude by vigorous propaganda in the press. The
fear of unemployment and starvation was to be removed from the
minds of the Indians and love of freedom and of the Motherland
was to be inculcated in them. That was to be done by “soul-
stirring music and theatrical performances glorifying the lives of
heroes and their great deeds in the cause of freedom and by patrio-
The Government was to be kept busy by means of
Bande Mataram processions, Swadeshi conferences and boycott
meetings. Youngmen were to be recruited, organized in small
bands and trained in physical exercises and use of weapons and
were to be taught absolute obedience to rules and the leaders.
Weapons were to be manufactured, purchased from foreign coun-
tries and smuggled into the country or manufactured in the coun-
try itself. Money was to be raised for the Terrorist Movement by
means of raids and dacoities. The belief was that "the law of the
English is established on brute force and if to liberate ourselves we
>
tic songs.
## p. 752 (#794) ############################################
752
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
too must use brute force, it is right that we should do sc. ” An
appeal was made to the youngmen of Bengal in these words: "Will
the Bengali worshipper of Shakti shrink from the shedding of blood ?
The number of Englishmen in this country is not above one lac
and a half, and what is the number of English officials in each
district? If you are firm in your resolution, you can in a single
day bring British rule to an end. Lay down your life, but first
take a life. The worship of the goddess will not be consummated
if you sacrifice your lives at the shrine of Independence without
shedding blood. ”
As a result of the efforts made by Barindra Kumar Ghosh and
Bhupendra Nath Dutt and their associates, a number of revolutio-
nary societies were set up and one of them was the Anusilan Samiti
or Society for the Promotion of Culture and Training. The Society
had its branches in Calcutta and Dacca. It was modelled on the
same line as the secret societies of Italy and Russia. It embarked
upon a programme of wholesale terrorism. On December 6, 1907,
an attempt was made to blow up the train in which the Lieutenant-
Governor was travelling. On December 23, 1907, Mr. Allen who
was formerly the District Magistrate of Dacca, was shot in the
back but the injury did not prove to be fatal. On April 30, 1908,
Mrs. and Miss Kennedy were murdered. The facts were that Mr.
Kingsford was hated by the terrorists on account of the heavy
punishments inflicted by him on the Swadeshi workers. What was
resented particularly was the infliction of corporal punishment on
respectable youngmen. Susil Sen, a boy of fifteen, was flogged in
public for the offence that he was mixed up in a Police fracas. The
terrorists decided to murder him and a clever device was prepared
to achieve the objective. What was done was that the middle
portions of the leaves of a book borrowed from Mr. Kingsford were
cut out and a bomb was put into the hollow thus created. It was
thought that when Mr. Kingsford would open the book, the bomb
would burst and kill him. The scheme was not successful as Mr.
Kingsford did not require the book immediately and thc same was
never opened. Another device was thought of to murder Kings-
ford. Khudi Ram Bose and Profulla Chakie were deputed for that
purpose. When both of them were going to the Bungalow of Mr.
Kingsford, they saw a carriage coming from that direction. They
thought that the occupant of the carriage was Mr. Kingsford and
they threw the bomb into the carriage. What happened was that
Mrs. and Miss Kennedy were killed by the bomb. Profulla Chakie
shot himself but Khudi Ram Bose was arrested, tried and hanged.
Khudi Ram became a martyr and a hero. Students and many
others put on mourning for him. Schools were closed for two or
## p. 753 (#795) ############################################
TERRORIST AND REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS 753
three days as a tribute to his memory. His photographs had an
immense sale. By and by, the youngmen began to wear Dhoties
with Khudi Ram Bose's name woven into the borders of garments.
The Government was able to unearth a conspiracy in Calcutta
and also captured some bombs, dynamite, cartridges and the corres-
pondence which led to the arrest and trial of about 39 persons in-
cluding Aurobindo Ghosh, Bhupendra Nath Dutt, Hem Chandra
Das and Narinder Gosain. Kanai Lal Dutt and S. N. Bose were
separately tried and executed. Heavy punishments were inflicted
.
on the remaining 36 accused. Narinder Gosain became an appro-
ver, but he was shot dead by his companions in the jail. Nand
Lal, the Sub-Inspector who had arrested Khudi Ram Bose, was
murdered. Ashutosh Biswas who had acted as Public Prosecutor
in the Gosain Murder case and the Alipore case was shot dead.
Shams-ul-Alam, Deputy Superintendent of Police, who was con-
nected with the Alipore case, was also shot dead. On November
7, 1908, an attempt was made to shoot Sir Andrew Frazer, the
Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, but the attempt failed. The ter-
rorists of Bengal did not spare the Police officers, Magistrates,
Prosecuting Lawyers, hostile witnesses, traitors, betrayers and ap-
provers. One and all, they were all shot. The consequences were
absolutely immaterial to the revolutionaries.
In 1907, B. C. Pal toured the Madras Presidency and preached
the gospel of Swaraj. He was imprisoned for six months for his
refusal to give evidence against Shri Aurobindo. When he was
released, two of his admirers from Madras celebrated his release
by holding a public meeting, hoisting the flag of Swaraj and pledg-
ing to boycott everything foreign. Both of them were arrested by
the Government and that led to a riot at Tinnevelly. The Sedition
Committee Report says: “It was marked by wholesale and delibe-
rate destruction of Governmnet property in open defiance of the
constituted authority. ” Every public building in Tinnevelly, except
the Sub-Registrar's Office, was attacked. The furniture and re-
cords of these buildings set on fire as well as portions of the build-
ings themselves; the municipal office was gutted. Twenty-seven
were convicted and sentenced for participation in the riot.
Pondicherry was also the centre of revolutionary work. M. P.
Tiruhal Acharya and V. V. S. Aiyer were the guiding spirits. Aiyer
prepared the youngmen at Pondicherry by giving them training in
the use of revolvers. One of the trainees was Vanchi Aiyer who
shot Mr. Ashe, the District Magistrate of Tinnevelley, on June 17,
1911. He was arrested, tried and executed. His companions were
also arrested, tried and executed in the Tinnevelly Conspiracy case.
Lord Hardinge decided to shift the capital of India from Cal-
## p. 754 (#796) ############################################
754
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
cutta to Delhi. When he was entering in the city of Delhi in a
procession, a bomb exploded. It injured the Viceroy and killed his
A. D. C. The bomb was thrown by Ras Bihari Bose. There was
a lot of confusion and Ras Bihari managed to escape. The Govern-
ment did its level best to find out the culprit. A reward of
Rs. 7,500 was announced for the arrest of Ras Bihari Bose. He
was chased from place to place but every time he managed to escape.
He went away to Japan under a fictitious name.
He played an
important role in organising the Indian National Army in Japan.
He died in 1945.
DELHI CONSPIRACY CASE
The action taken by the Government in connection with the
bomb thrown on Lord Hardinge is known as the Delhi Conspiracy
Case. Thirteen persons had been arrested in that connection. The
names of some of them were Miaster Amir Chand, his adopted son
Sultan Chand, Dina Nath, Bhai Balmukund, Bal Raj Bhalla, Basant
Kumar and Avadh Bihari. Two of them were sentenced to seven
years' imprisonment and four of them were hanged. Dina Nath
became an approver. During the trial in 1914, the Police produced
in the Court a letter written by Master Amir Chand and that let-
ter contained the following passage: "Constitutional struggles and
agitations have borne no fruit. The only effective and unfailing
means to liberate our country is that of armed revolution. History
testifies to the fact that the rulers never offer independence on a
silver platter. They surrender it to the threat of sword. ” It is
stated that when Avadh Behari was going to be hanged, an English-
man asked him as to what was his last wish. His reply was: “The
end of the British Rule. ” When the Englishman advised him to
die peacefully, Avadh Behari replied: "Peace? I wish that a confia-
gration may break out in the country gutting the British rule. Let
my country emerge out of this tire like pure gold. ”
February 21, 1915 was fixed for an all-India revolt and vigorous
preparations were made for that purpose. Ras Bihari Bose,
Suchindra Sanyal, Ganesh Pingale and Bagi Kartar Singh prepar-
ed a master plan for that purpose. Bomb factories were set up at
Ludhiana, Amritsar, etc. Indian troops were contacted and persuad-
ed to revolt on that date. Some revolutionaries raided the Moga
Treasury in the Punjab. Two revolutionaries were killed and
several were arrested. They were also hanged. The all-India re-
volt failed because one Kirpal Singh passed on all the secret plans
to the Government. Many places were raided and bombs were
recovered. Secret papers were also captured by the Government.
## p. 755 (#797) ############################################
DELHI CONSPIRACY CASE
755
Most of the ring leaders of the Punjab fell into the hands of the
Police. Luckily, Ras Bihari Bose, Ganesh Pingale and Bagi Kartar
Singh escaped. Ganesh Pingale got down at Meerut and was
handed over to the government by a Muslim Inspector with whom
he stayed. He was hanged on November 16, 1915. His last words
were: “Oh God! May the task left incomplete by me be executed
by you. My only wish is that my country may be free. ” Kartar
Singh was also caught later on and sentenced to death along with
Jagat Singh, Bhai Parmanand, Man Singh and Udham Singh.
Many others were transportated for life. The death sentence of
Bhai Parmanand was later on commuted to life imprisonment. It
is stated that Chief Justice was inclined to commute the death sen-
tence of Kartar Singh also, but the latter said: “I prefer gallows to
life sentence. I wish I were born again to unfetter my mother-
land. I shall be glad to be hanged every time I am reborn till my
country achieves independence. ”
Lala Hardayal was a great philosopher and a powerful orator.
In 1913, he called a rally of revolutionary workers in a town of
California.
He started an independent press and brought out a
paper known as “The Gadar. ” It was published in English, Hindi,
Urdu, Bengali, Marathi and Gurmukhi. The copies of this news-
paper were sent to all those countries where Indians lived. There
was a great demand for this paper in Japan, China, Singapore,
Germany and Canada. The newspaper condemned the mis-deeds
of the British Government in India and also explained the objects
of the Gadar Movement.
In 1913, a few thousand Indians lived in Canada and most of
them were Sikhs. They were subjected to all kinds of indignities.
The Canadian Government did not like their presence in their coun-
try and was anxious to stop their flow. With that object in view,
a law was passed by which only those Indians were allowed to land
in Canada who were direct passengers from Calcutta. The Cana-
dian Government knew full well that there were no direct services
from India to Canada and hence indirectly the immigration of
Indians into Canada would stop. Baba Gurdit Singh who was a
very rich Indian in Canada, came forward to help the Indians. He
floated a shipping company known as the Guru Nanak Navigation
Company and hired a Japanese ship called Komagata Maru. The
ship reached Calcutta and was able to accommodate 500 Indian
passengers. When the ship reached the Port of Vancouver on May
22, 1914, the Canadian authorities did not allow her to enter the
harbour. The passengers were not allowed to land even on the
shore. The ship was not allowed even to unload the goods. The
Canadian authorities acted in a very cruel manner. Although the
## p. 756 (#798) ############################################
756
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
passengers were suffering terribly, the Canadian Government was
not moved by their plight. An effort was made by the Canadian
authorities to throw boiling water on the passengers. Finally, the
Canadian Government sent two warships to sink the Komagata
Maru. After about two months of stay in the Canadian waters,
the Komagata Maru started on her return voyage on July 23, 1914.
The passengers had to suffer even on the return journey as the
British Government did not allow the ship to enter the harbours of
Hongkong and Singapore. On September 26, 1914, the ship reach-
ed the Budge Budge harbour near Calcutta. The Government of
India ordered the passengers of the ship to enter the special train
which was kept ready to take them away. As the passengers refus-
ed to get into the train, they were forcibly dragged and put in the
train. Some of the passengers resisted and while doing so used
American revolvers. 18 Sikhs were killed and many more were
wounded. Although Baba Gurdit Singh was injured, he managed
to escape. The occurrences connected with the Komagata Maru
created a lot of bitterness among the Indians in general and the
Sikhs in particular. Bhai Bhag Singh and Bhai Vatan Singh led
an agitation against the Canadian authorities for the repeal of the
law against the immigration of the Indians. Mr. Hopkins who
was the chief of the Immigration Section of Canada, became the
target and he was killed by one Mewa Singh. The Gadar Party also
intensified its propaganda against the Government of India. In
the issue of August 18, 1914, the Gadar Party gave the following
instructions: "Spread the literature of revolution; help and encour-
age all resistance, armed and passive; destroy the railway lines,
withdraw all your funds from British Banks and inspire the Indian
army to strike on every point against the Firangis. ”
Lala Hardayal went to Gerinany to negotiate with William II,
the German Emperor. He sent thousands of recruits and a lot of
explosive materials to India. Raja Mahendra Pratap set up a
provisional government at Kabul. It was agreed that thc Muslims
of Iran, Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan would take up arms against
the British Government after getting help from Germany and
Turkey. The Sikhs of the Punjab were also to revolt Unfortu-
nately, the whole plan for the revolt of 1915 leaked out and nothing
came out.
THE KAKORI CASE
The revolutionaries were in great need of money for the manu-
facture of bombs and consequently a few revolutionaries boarded
the train on August 9, 1915, on the Lucknow-Saharanpur line. The
## p. 757 (#799) ############################################
THE KAKORI CASE
757
revolutionaries had with them revolvers and cartridges. After the
departure of the train from Kakori Railway station, one of the revo-
lutionaries pulled the alarm chain of the train. When the train
stopped, the revolutionaries tried to take away the money from the
Iron Box in the train which was broken open with great effort with
hammer-blows by Ashfaq. Unfortunately, the revolutionaries were
-
able to get Rs. 5,000 only. The Government took action and
arrested about 40 persons and sent them for trial. That case is
known as the Kakori case. The trial concluded on April 7, 1927.
It was a mere farce. Pt. Ram Parsad Bismil, Roshan Singh and
Rajindra Lahri were given death sentence. Manmath Nath Gupta
got 14 years and many others got death sentences. Ashfaq and
Suchendra Nath Bakshi were caught later on and were given death
sentence and transportation for life respectively. Ram Parsad Bis-
mil was hanged on December 19, 1927. His mother is said to
have observed thus about her son: “I am greatly proud to have
given birth to a soldier of freedom who laid down his life at the
feet of his motherland. Your country has greater claim on you
than I have. You have fallen for a noble cause and I see no reason
to feel sorry. ” A little before his death, Ashfaq Ullah gave the fol-
lowing message to his countrymen: "We have played our role on
the political stage of our country. Right or wrong all our actions
were motivated by the lofty object of securing independence. I
know my actions will elicit praise from some quarters and criticism
from the other, but as a true revolutionary I am indifferent to such
remarks. One thing I beg to clarify before I die. It never had
been our object to create terror in the country. Our trial has
lasted for such a long time but tell me if ever we tried to shoot down
an approver or a prosecution witness. That is not in our line. My
only wish is that my country-men may, irrespectiv of their
religion or creed, unite like a solid bloc to smash the citadel of
British rule. The British are the common enemies of all the
religious sections of our country. It is the moral duty of every
Indian to dig the grave of the British bureaucracy. I am far from
being a murderer as has been established by the prosecution. I am
rather proud of being the first Musalman to lay down my life at
the altar of India's freedom. ”
The people of India had boycotted the Simon Commission but
in spite of that the Commission visited Lahore on October 20, 1928.
The Hindustan Socialist Republican Party took out a huge proces-
sion against the Simon Commission. The processionists were shout-
ing: “Simon, go back. ” Lala Lajpat Rai was leading the proces-
sion. One Mr. I. P. Saunders gave blows on the head and chest of
Lala Lajpat Rai with his baton and thereby caused grievous injuries
9
## p. 758 (#800) ############################################
758
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
9
on his person. While addressing the public meeting in the same
evening at the Bradlaugh Hall, Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai declared:
“The Government which attacks its own innocent subjects has no
claim to be called a civilized Government. Bear in mind, such a
Government does not survive long. I declare that the blows struck
at me will be the last nails in the coffin of British rule in India. "
Lala Lajpat Rai died on November 17, 1928, as a result of the
injuries received by him. That was too much for the people of
India and nobody who had inflicted those injuries on Lalaji could
be forgiven. Addressing a public meeting, Shrimati Basanti Debi,
the wife of C. R. Das, observed thus: “My blood boils with rage to
think that Lalaji, who had beer. so aged and so dear to his country-
men, has been beaten to death by that brute English pclice officer.
It is a challenge to the youth and manliness of 300 million Indians.
On behalf of the women of India, I want a reply to my question
whether Indian youths are dead or alive. Is there nobody from
the young generation of India io step forward and respond to my
question? ” The reply was given by Sardar Bhagat Singh and his
companions. It was decided to kill Mr. Scott who had ordered the
lathi charge and Mr. Saunders who had killed Lalaji. On Decem-
ber 17, 1928, when Saunders was approaching the police gate on
his bicycle, he was shot by Rajguru and he was followed by Bhagat
Singh who tore the head of Saunders to pieces by pistol shots. All
the revolutionaries took refuge in the D. A. V. College, Lahore and
then managed to slip away to Simla.
Within 5 days of the incident, the following posters were found
on the walls of the city of Lahore:
"HINDUSTAN SOCIALIST REPUBLICAN PARTY
NOTICE
BEWARE BUREAUCRACY
“This killing of I. P. Saunders was only to avenge fully the mur-
der of Lala Lajpat Rai. It was indeed a sad and shameful episode
that so mean a fellow like I. P. Saunders should dare to deliver
blows on the chest of the old and most respected person worshipped
by a nation of thirty-five crores of Indians. That was indeed an
affront to the nation. By that insult of the Indian Nation, the
foreign power had as if thrown a challenge to the self-respecting
and brave sons of the soil. This reply will surely convince the
people and the foreign power that the Indian Nation is indeed not
yet dead or spiritless to bear such insults. The people of Bharat
have fresh blood flowing in their veins. Young India is up and
## p. 759 (#801) ############################################
SARDAR BHAGAT SINGH
759
ready to guard the honour of the nation even at the stake and sacri-
fice of life.
"Beware, you, Tyrant of Government !
“Do not hereafter try to touch the provoked feelings of the people
that are already exploited and harassed. Hold your devilish
hands! Remember that in spite all your laws and endeavours to
keep us disarmed a flood of pistols and revolvers will always flow
into the hands of the youth of the country. Though it may be
admitted that no armed revolution can be accomplished with a
sprinkling of arms yet they will indeed be enough to wreak ven-
geance for the repeated national insults which the administration
indulges in from time to time. Our so-called national leaders may
condemn and reproach our actions, and the foreign Government
may try their utmost to crush our organisation. But we want to
make it clear here that we shall ever be ready to safeguard our
national honour and to teach lessons to all the foreign aggrandisers.
We shall never permit the cry of revolution to languish even under
the encirclement of oppression and suppression all around; bear in
mind that even with the noose knot of death round our necks, we
shall always shout and cheer 'Long Live Revolution. '
“We are really sorry that we had to kill a human being. But
the man whom we had to shoot down was a part and parcel of
such cruel, mean and unjust administration of a foreign power that
we had no alternative but to overthrow him. This man is killed
only in his capacity as a representative of the British power in India.
British Power is undoubtedly the most tyrannical one in the world.
“We again repeat that we are sorry that we had to shed human
blood. But it becomes inevitable to shed blood on the altar of
revolution, which will end all exploitation of man at the hands of
man.
“Long Live Revolution.
Sd/- (BALRAJ)
18th December, 1928.
Commander: Punjab HSRA. ”
>
Another incident took place on April 8, 1929. After the ques-
tion hour was over in the Central Legislative Assembly in New
Delhi, Sardar Bhagat Singh threw a bomb on the wall which ex-
ploded with a thundering boom. Two bullets were fired to frigh-
ten the Speaker of the House. When the smoke ended, Sardar
Bhagat Singh threw leaflets into the hall and those read thus:
“Bombs are needed to let the deaf hear. ” Sardar Bhagat Singh
could have run away but he surrendered himself to the police.
Sardar Bhagat Singh and his companions were put up for trial and
ultimately condemned to death. In the course of his lengthy state-
## p. 760 (#802) ############################################
760
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
ment in the court, Sardar Bhagat Singh observed thus: “Our sole
object was to warn the listless and to wake up the deaf. Many
others are thinking just like us. The bombs which were thrown
were intentionally so manufactured as to cause insignificant dam-
age, and they were thrown also in such a clear place as to produce
the least injury to anybody. Under the apparent calm on the sur-
face of the Indian mind there is a ceaseless terrible seething discon-
tent on the point of bursting into a storm. Our action is merely
a danger-signal to those who are rushing ahead thoughtlessly with-
out caring for the serious consequences before them. We have, as
if, heralded the end of the era of non-violence, the idealist dream,
about whose utter failure the young generation is now doubtlessly
convinced. We have adopted this course of striking a warning
purely out of our love and good-will for humanity to ward off the
unheard of harassments and hardships. The new spirit, notice of
whose dawn has been just given by us, is really inspired by the
idealism of Guru Govind Singh, Shivaji, Mustafa Kamal Pasha,
Raza Khan, Washington, Garibaldi, Lafayette and Lenin. It was
because the Government and the Indian leaders had closed their
eyes and ears that we had to sound that warning to attract their
attention. . . . .
“It will be readily accepted that we had no personal prejudice
or hatred against any individual in the House or against any one
who had received minor injuries. On the other hand, we emphati-
cally reassert that we hold all human life as sacred beyond des-
cription. Instead of inflicting injuries on any one else, we are
ready to offer ourselves to be sacrificed for the sake of humanity.
The mental attitude of mercenary soldiers in the Imperial armies
trained to mercilessly kill the humanity is not in our character.
When we surrendered, it was purely out of the sole thought to
suffer the atonement of our actions. We wanted to warn the
Imperialist exploiters that they could never destroy the truth by
crushing a few individuals. A whole nation cannot be suppressed
by doing away with a couple of persons. Bastile could not pre-
vent the French Revolution. Exiles in Siberia could not liquidate
the Russian Revolution. The bloody Sundays could noi arrest the
course of Irish struggle for Independence. How could then these
atrocious measures extinguish the flame of freedom burning bright
in the Indian mind? . . . .
“The opponents of revolution mistakenly believe that revolution
means violence with arms, weapons and such other means. But
revolution is not confined to this process. It may be that these
are used as instruments but it should not be forgotten hat behind
them is the solid strength and spirit of the revolution and that
## p. 761 (#803) ############################################
CHANDRA SHEKHAR AZAD
761
strength is the will, the aspiration of the people to demand and get
a change, a revolution in the current economic structure, the shape
and form of political Government of the nation. Our idea of
revolution has never been simply the bloodshad of some individuals.
It is to end the present regime of exploitation of man by man and
to secure for our nation absolute right of self-determination. That
is the ultimate objective of our idea of revolution. Freedom is the
birth-right of man. We welcome any amount of suffering and
sacrifice that might fall to our lot for this idealism and devotion
to it. Long live that Revolution. "
The Tribunal which tried Sardar Bhagat Singh and his compa-
nions gave its decision on October 7, 1930 and Sardar Bhagat
Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdeo were hanged at Lahore on March
23, 1931. Unfortunately, the dead bodies of these heroes were
taken by the Government to Ferozepore and an attempt was made
to burn them on the banks of the river Sutlej. However, the people
came to know of it and were able to recover the half-burnt dead
bodies. Those were taken to Lahore and cremated there with
great honours.
A reference must be made to the work of Chandra Shekhar Azad,
Bhagwati Charan and Yash Pal. Azad was a fearless person who
was determined to liberate his country even at the cost of his life.
He had a hand in the Kakori conspiracy case but he managed to
escape. He helped Sardar Bhagat Singh in his attack against
Saunders. His efforts to take Sardar Bhagat Singh out of the jail
failed. Efforts were also made to persuade the Viceroy to con-
done the death sentence passed on Sardar Bhagat Singh and his
companions. When all that failed, Chandra Shekhar Azad and
Yash Pal chalked out a plan to blow up the train carrying Lord
Irwin. When on December 23, 1929, the train carrying the Vice-
roy left the Nizamuddin Railway Station near New Delhi, a bomb
exploded and the train was derailed. The dining car was shattered
to pieces. However, Lord Irwin escaped unhurt.
On February 27, 1931, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Yash Pal and
Surendra Pandey assembled at Allahabad to finalize their plans
for getting help from Russia for fighting India's battle for freedom.
Yash Pal and Surendra Pandey left Azad in the Alfred Park to
meet another revolutionary. While Azad was still in that Park,
he found himself surrounded by armed police. He fought bravely
against the police party with revolvers in his both hands. His
body was punctured with bullets. While he used the other bul-
lets on his enemies, the last bullet he used on himself and thus died
a great man who could have helped to solve free India's problems.
Yash Pal was selected the Commander-in-Chief of the Hindustan
## p. 762 (#804) ############################################
762
THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
Socialist Republican Army after the death of Azad. The Govern-
ment announced big rewards for information leading to his arrest.
He re-organized the Revolutionary Army and made a declaration
of a general revolt. He was caught by the police because his
revolver did not work. He was sentenced to 14 years' rigorous
imprisonment but was released by the Congress Ministry in March,
1938.
