Revolutionary Movement & Bhagat Singh
National Movement · क्रांतिकारी आंदोलन और भगत सिंह · 18 facts
HSRA (Hindustan Socialist Republican Army) was founded in 1928 — its key members were Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sukhdev, and Rajguru.
Lala Lajpat Rai was fatally injured during a lathi charge at Lahore (October 30, 1928) when he led a protest against the Simon Commission.
Lala Lajpat Rai died on November 17, 1928 — Bhagat Singh vowed to avenge his death, calling him 'Punjab Kesari' (Lion of Punjab).
John Saunders murder (December 17, 1928) — Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev killed Deputy Superintendent Saunders at Lahore (they had mistaken him for Superintendent Scott).
Central Assembly bomb (April 8, 1929) — Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi to 'make the deaf hear'. They shouted 'Inquilab Zindabad'.
Bhagat Singh was hanged on March 23, 1931 at the age of 23 — along with Sukhdev and Rajguru at Lahore Central Jail. British authorities executed them a day early, fearing public reaction.
Chandrashekhar Azad shot himself dead at Alfred Park (now Azad Park) in Allahabad on February 27, 1931 — true to his oath never to be arrested.
Ghadar Party was founded in 1913 in San Francisco, USA by Lala Har Dayal — it was formed by Indian immigrants (mainly Punjabis) to overthrow British rule.
Anushilan Samiti (founded 1902, Calcutta) and Abhinav Bharat Society (founded 1904, Pune by VD Savarkar) were early revolutionary organizations.
Alipore Bomb Case (1908) — Prafulla Chaki and Khudiram Bose threw a bomb at a carriage they thought carried Magistrate Kingsford; Khudiram Bose was hanged at 18 years old.
Madan Lal Dhingra assassinated Lt Colonel William Curzon-Wyllie in London (1909) — he was inspired by Savarkar's Abhinav Bharat Society.
Bhagat Singh's ideology was socialist-nationalist — he studied Karl Marx and called for a workers' revolution alongside independence from British rule.
Bhagat Singh co-wrote 'Why I am an Atheist' (1930) while in Lahore Central Jail awaiting execution — it became one of the most famous texts of the Indian revolutionary movement.
Lahore Conspiracy Case — Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were tried for the murder of Saunders and convicted. Gandhi was criticized for not pressing for their clemency.
Sachindra Nath Sanyal founded the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) in 1924 — it was later renamed HSRA after Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad joined.
Kakori Train Robbery (August 9, 1925) — HRA revolutionaries including Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan looted the British Treasury in a train at Kakori near Lucknow.
Bhagat Singh popularized the slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad' (Long Live the Revolution) — originally coined by Hasrat Mohani, it became the rallying cry of the independence movement.
Udham Singh (1940) — assassinated General Michael O'Dwyer in London — O'Dwyer was the Lt. Governor of Punjab who had approved the Jallianwala Bagh massacre order.