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In News
- Prime Minister of India paid tributes to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru on Shaheed Diwas (23rd March).
- The Day is also known as Martyrs’ Day or Sarvodaya Day.
- This day is different from the Martyrs’ Day observed on 30th January, the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated.
About
- History:
- On March 23, 1931, the three freedom fighters laid down their lives for the independence of India from colonial rule.
- Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev trio was found guilty of killing deputy police superintendent JP Saunders in 1928, to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.
- The British Raj had sentenced the three to be hanged to death for their involvement in the killing of John Saunders, whom they had mistaken for James Scott, a British police superintendent.
- They had wanted to kill Scott because they believed that he played a pivotal role in the death of eminent nationalist leader Lala Lajpat Rai.
- Why is it celebrated?
- It is this fearless spirit that Indians celebrate every year on Martyr’s Day.
- Still, people continue to reminisce about Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev for the significant contributions they made towards India’s independence in 1947.
Shaheed Bhagat Singh
1907 |
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1923 |
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1924 |
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1925 |
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1926 |
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1927 |
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1928 |
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1929 |
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1930 |
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1931 |
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Political Ideology
- His “azaadi” freedom was not limited to the expelling of the British; instead, he desired azaadi from poverty, azaadi from untouchability, azaadi from communal strife, and azaadi from every form of discrimination and exploitation.
- He regarded Kartar Singh Sarabha, the founding member of the Ghadar Party as his hero.
- Bhagat was also inspired by Bhai Parmanand, another founding member of the Ghadar Party.
- He was attracted to anarchism and communism. He was an avid reader of the teachings of Mikhail Bakunin and also read Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky.
- ‘Why I am an Atheist’ is an essay written by Bhagat Singh in 1930 while he was imprisoned in the Lahore Central Jail.
Gandhi’s Influence
- Initially, he supported Mahatma Gandhi and the Non-Cooperation Movement.
- However, when Gandhi withdrew the movement in the wake of the Chauri Chaura incident, Bhagat Singh turned to revolutionary nationalism.
Role of Sukhdev Thapar & Shivaram Rajguru
- They grew up witnessing the brutal atrocities that Britain’s colonial rule kept inflicting on India.
- These experiences instilled within him a strong urge to join the revolutionaries in their fight for India’s freedom.
- They began organising revolutionary cells in Punjab and other areas of North India, vowing to set India free from the shackles of British rule.
- They also played an active role in several revolutionary activities.
Source: IE
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