New Delhi: India is observing ‘Shaheed Diwas’ today to mark the death anniversary of Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Hari Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar, the revolutionary leaders who were hanged at the Lahore Central Jail in Lahore on March 23, 1931.
After the death of the freedom fighter, Lala Lajpat Rai, in November 1928, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and others vowed to take revenge, as Rai was a major leader of India’s independence movement. They conspired to kill James A. Scott, who was the Superintendent of Police in the British Raj. It was Scott who ordered the police to lathi-charge the protesters and made a personal attack on Rai, inflicting serious injuries on him. Lala Lajpat Rai was leading a protest against the Simon commission which was a silent and non-violent march, but the police responded with violence. Bhagat Singh witnessed this horrific incident.
However, they killed the assistant superintendent of police, John Saunders mistakenly. They threw bombs in the Central Assembly on April 8, 1929 and shouted ‘Inqilab Zindabad’. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were charged with the murder of Saunders and were sentenced to death. The date of execution was fixed on March 24, but Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged on March 23, 1931 in Lahore jail.
When these three were hanged, Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev were 23-year-old, while Rajguru was just 22-year-old. The sacrifices of these young revolutionaries continue to inspire the youth today.
