Shaheed Bhagat Singh was an Indian revolutionary who played an important role in

the Indian independence movement. This biography profiles his life, childhood,
achievements and death.
Cultural India : Leaders : Bhagat Singh
Bhagat Singh
Born: September 27, 1907

Place of Birth: Village Banga, Tehshil Jaranwala, District Lyallpur, Punjab (in
modern day Pakistan)

Parents: Kishan Singh (father) and Vidyavati Kaur (mother)

Education: D.A.V. High School, Lahore; National College, Lahore

Associations: Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Hindustan Republican Association, Kirti Kisan

Party, Kranti Dal.

Political Ideology: Socialism; Nationalism; Anarchism; Communism

Religious Beliefs: Sikhism (childhood and teen); Atheism (youth)

Publications: Why I Am An Atheist: An Autobiographical Discourse, The Jail Notebook

And Other Writings, Ideas of a Nation

Death: Executed on March 23, 1931

Memorial: The National Martyrs Memorial, Hussainwala, Punjab

Bhagat Singh is considered to be one of the most influential revolutionaries of

Indian Nationalist Movement. He became involved with numerous revolutionary
organizations and played an important role in the Indian National movement. He died
a martyr at the age of just 23 years. Following his execution, on March 23, 1931,
the supporters and followers of Bhagat Singh regarded him as a "Shaheed" (martyr).

Childhood and Early Life

Bhagat Singh was born on 27 September 1907 at Banga in Lyallpur district (now
Pakistan) to Kishan Singh and Vidyavati. At the time of his birth, his father
Kishan Singh, uncles Ajit and Swaran Singh were in jail for demonstrations against
the Colonization Bill implemented in 1906. His uncle, Sardar Ajit Singh, was a
proponent of the movement and established the Indian Patriots' Association. He was
well-supported by his friend Syed Haidar Raza in organizing the peasants against
the Chenab Canal Colony Bill. Ajit Singh had 22 cases against him and was forced to
flee to Iran. His family was the supporter of the Ghadar party and the politically
aware environment at home helped incite a sense of patriotism in the heart of young
Bhagat Singh.

Childhood and Early Life

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fifteen/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/bhagat-singh_2qmc.jpg

Bhagat Singh studied till the fifth class in his village school, after which his
father Kishan Singh got him enrolled at the Dayanand Anglo Vedic High School in
Lahore. At a very young age, Bhagat Singh started following Non-Cooperation
Movement, initiated by Mahatma Gandhi. Bhagat Singh had openly defied the British
and had followed Gandhi's wishes by burning the government-sponsored books. He even
left the school to enrol at the National College in Lahore. Two incidents during
his teen days shaped his strong patriotic outlook - the Jallianwala Bagh Masacre in
1919 and killing of unarmed Akali protesters at the Nankana Sahib in 1921. His
family believed in the Gandhian ideology of non-violent approach to attain Swaraj
and for a while Bhagat Singh also supported the Indian National Congress and the
causes behind the Non-Cooperation Movement. Following the violent incidents of
"Chauri Chaura", Gandhi called for the withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation movement.
Unhappy with the decision, Bhagat Singh, isolated himself from Gandhi's nonviolent
action and joined the Young Revolutionary Movement. Thus began his journey as the
most prominent advocate of violent insurgency against the British Raj.

He was pursuing B.A. examination when his parents planned to have him married. He
vehemently rejected the suggestion and said that, if his marriage was to take place
in Slave-India, my bride shall be only death."

Image Credit:
In March 1925, inspired by European nationalist movements, the Naujawan Bharat
Sabha was formed with Bhagat Singh, as its secretary. Bhagat singh also joined the
Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), a radical group, which he later
rechristened as the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) along with
fellow revolutionaries Chandrashekhar Azad and Sukhdev. He returned to his home in
Lahore after assurances from his parents that he would not be compelled to get
married. He established contact with the members of the Kirti Kisan Party and
started contributing regularly to its magazine, the "Kirti". As a student, Bhagat
Singh was an avid reader and he would read up about European nationalist movements.
Inspired by the writings of Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx, his political
ideologies took shape and he became more inclined towards a socialist approach. He
also wrote in newspapers like �Veer Arjun� "under several pseudonyms.

National Movement & Revolutionary Activities

Initially, Bhagat Singh�s activities were limited to writing corrosive articles

against the British Government, printing and distributing pamphlets outlining
principles of a violent uprising, aimed at overthrowing the Government. Considering
his influence on the youth, and his association with the Akali movement, he became
a person of interest for the government.The police arrested him in a bombing case
that took place in 1926 in Lahore. He was released 5 months later on a 60,000
rupees bond.

On 30 October 1928, Lala Lajpat Rai led an all-parties procession and marched
towards the Lahore railway station to protest against the arrival of the Simon
Commission. The police resorted to a brutal lathi charge to thwart the advancement
of the protesters. The confrontation left Lala Lajpat Rai with severe injuries and
he succumbed to his injuries on November17, 1928. As a revenge for the death of
Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh and his associates plotted the assassination of James
A. Scott, the Superintendent of Police, believed to have ordered the lathi charge.
The revolutionaries, mistaking J.P. Saunders, an Assistant Superintendent of
Police, as Scott, killed him instead. Bhagat Singh quickly left Lahore to escape
his arrest. To avoid recognition, he shaved his beard and cut his hair, a violation
of the sacred tenets of Sikhism.

In response to the formulation of Defence of India Act, the Hindustan Socialist

Republican Association planned to explode a bomb inside the assembly premises,
where the ordinance was going to be passed. On April 8 1929, Bhagat Singh and
Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb onto the corridors of the assembly, shouted 'Inquilab
Zindabad!' and threw pamphlet outlining their missive into the air. The bomb was
not meant to kill or injure anyone and therefore it was thrown away from the
crowded place, but still several council members were injured in the commotion.
Following the blasts both Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt courted arrest.

Image Credit:
1929 Assembly Incident Trial

The dramatic demonstration of protest was met with widespread criticisms from the
political arena. Singh responded � �Force when aggressively applied is 'violence'
and is, therefore, morally unjustifiable, but when it is used in the furtherance of
a legitimate cause, it has its moral justification.�

Trial proceedings commenced in May where Singh sought to defend himself, while
Batukeshwar Dutt was represented by Afsar Ali. The court ruled in favour of a life
sentence citing malicious and unlawful intent of the explosions.

Lahore Conspiracy Case & Trial

Soon after the sentencing, the police raided the HSRA bomb factories in Lahore and
arrested several prominent revolutionaries.Three individuals, Hans Raj Vohra, Jai
Gopal and Phanindra Nath Ghosh turned approver for the Government which led to a
total of 21 arrests including those of Sukhdev, Jatindra Nath Das and Rajguru.
Bhagat Singh was re-arrested for the Lahore Conspiracy case, murder of Assistant
Superintendent Saunders and bomb manufacturing.

Trial started against 28 accused in a special session court presided over by Judge
Rai Sahib Pandit Sri Kishen, on July10, 1929.

Meanwhile, Singh and his fellow inmates declared an indefinite hunger strike in
protest of the prejudiced difference in treatment of the white versus native
prisoners and demanded to be recognised as �political prisoners�. The hunger strike
received tremendous attention from the press and gathered major public support in
favour of their demands. Death of Jatindra Nath Das, after 63 days long fast, led
to the negative public opinions intensifying towards the authorities. Bhagat Singh
finally broke his 116-day fast, on request of his father and Congress leadership,
on October 5, 1929.

Owing to the slow pace of the legal proceedings, a special tribunal consisting of
Justice J. Coldstream, Justice Agha Hyder and Justice G. C. Hilton was set up on
the directives of the Viceroy, Lord Irwin on 1 May 1930. The tribunal was empowered
to proceed without the presence of the accused and was a one-sided trial that
hardly adhered to the normal legal rights guidelines.

The tribunal delivered its 300-page judgement on 7 October 1930. It declared that
irrefutable proof has been presented confirming the involvement of Singh, Sukhdev
and Rajguru in the Saunders murder. Singh admitted to the murder and made
statements against the British rule during the trial. They were sentenced to be
hanged till death.

Execution

On March 23, 1931, 7:30 am, Bhagat Singh was hanged in Lahore Jail with his
comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev. It is said that the trio proceeded quite cheerfully
towards the gallows while chanting their favourite slogans like �Inquilab Zindabad�
and �Down with British Imperialism�. Singh and his peers were cremated at
Hussainiwala on the banks of Sutlej River.
Bhagat Singh�s Thoughts & Opinions

From a very young age patriotism had taken its seed in Bhagat Singh�s conscience.
He grew up to appreciate nationalism and crave a British-free independent India.
Extensive reading of European literature propelled him towards forming a socialist
outlook strongly desiring a democratic future for his beloved country. Although
born a Sikh, Bhagat Singh veered towards Atheism after witnessing several Hindu-
Muslim riots and other religious outbreaks. Singh believed that something as
precious as Independence can only be achieved by a thorough cleansing of the
exploitative nature of imperialism. He opined that such change can only be brought
forwardby means of an armed revolution, in similar lines to the Bolshevik
Revolution in Russia. He introduced the slogan �Inquilab Zindabad� which sort of
transformed into the war cry of the Indian Independence movement.

Popularity & Legacy

Bhagat Singh, his intense patriotism coupled with cultivated idealism, made him an
ideal icon for the youth of his generation. Through his written and vocal
admonition of the British Imperial Government, he became the voice of his
generation. His vehement departure from the Gandhian non-violent route to Swaraj
has often been criticized by many, yet through the fearless embracing of martyrdom
he inspired hundreds of teens and youths to join the freedom struggle
wholeheartedly. His eminence in current times is evident from the fact that Bhagat
Singh was voted as the Greatest Indian, ahead of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma
Gandhi, in a poll conducted by India Today in 2008.

Bhagat Singh in Popular Culture

The inspiration that Bhagat Singh still ignites within the soul of Indians can be
felt in the popularity of the films and theatrical adaptations on his life. Several
films like �Shaheed� (1965) and �The Legend of Bhagat Singh� (2002) were made on
the life of 23-year old revolutionary. Popular songs like the �Mohe rang de basanti
chola� and �Sarfaroshiki Tamanna� associated with Bhagat Singh are still relevant
in inspiring patriotic emotions in the Indians. Numerous books, articles and papers
have been written about his life, ideologies and legacy