'It is easy to kill a person, but difficult to kill his ideas', he stated in the leaflet he threw in the central assembly on 09/April/1929.
He wanted to die so that his death would inspire the youth, to fight against the British raj in India.
Born to a sikh family, unlike many Sikhs his age, he did not attend Khasla School in Lahore, because his grandfather did not approve the staffs' loyalism to the British authorities, instead joined an Arya Samajist school.
At age 13, he started to follow Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement and openly dared the British by burning his govt school books and any British-imported clothing. But, began to oppose Gandhi's nonviolence action after the violent murders of policemen by villagers from Chauri Chaura, Uttar Pradesh, and Gandhi's withdrawal of the movement.
In his teenage, he started studying at National College in Lahore, but ran away from home to escape early marriage, and became a member of 'Youth society of India'. He then joined Hindustan Republic Association which had prominent leaders like Ram Prasad Bismil, Chandrashekar Azad and Ashfaqulla Khan.
On the day of Dasara in October 1926, a bomb was blasted in Lahore, and he was arrested for his alleged involment in this bomb case in 29 may 1927 and was released on the bail of 60000 Rs after five weeks of his arrest.
He wrote for and edited Urdu and Panjabi newspapers published from Amritsar. In September 1928, a meeting of various revolutionaries from across India was called at Delhi under the banner of Kirti Kissan Party. He was the secretary of the meet, and later became the leader of this association.
Shaheed Bhagat Singh, the very name springs patriotism in our hearts.
In 1928, the British govt created a commission under Sir John Simon to report on the political situation India. The Indian political parties boycotted the commission because it didnot include a single Indian as its member. It was met with protests all over the country.
When the commission visited Lahore on 30 October 1928, Lala Lajpat Rai led the protest against Simon Commission in a silent non-violent march, but the police responded with violence. Lala was beaten with Latis at the chest to death.
Bhagat Singh, who was an eyewitness to this event, vowed to take revenge. He joined with Shivram Rajguru, Jai Gopal and Sukhdev Thapar, in a plot to kill the police chief, Scott.
Jai Gopal was supposed to identify the chief and signal for Singh to shoot. But, by mistake, Gopal signalled when he saw a Deputy Superintendent of Police, J P Saunders. Thus, Saunders instead of Scott was shot, and Bhagat Singh left Lahore to escape from the police.
The british govt then decided to give more power to the police to tackle revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh. In response to this act, Bhagat Singh along with Batukeshwar Dutt, on 8th April 1929, threw a bomb onto the corridors of the Central Legislative assembly, and shouted "Inquilab Zindabad"(Long Live the Revolution). This was followed by a shower of leaflets stating that it takes a loud voice to make the deaf hear.
The bomb neither killed nor injured anyone. Singh and Dutt claimed that this was deliberate on their part and gave themselves up for arrest after the bomb.
On 15th April 1929, other revolutionaries were arrested, out of which 7 turned informants, helping the police to connect Bhagat Singh in the murder of JP Saunders. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were charged with the murder.
While in jail he and other prisoners launched a hunger strike advocating for the rights of prisoners and those facing trial, which lasted for 63 days!. He also maintained a diary, and filled 404 pages with numerous notes relating to the quotations and popular sayings of various people whose views he supported.
On 23rd march 1931, Bhagat Singh, aged just 23, was hanged in Lahore with his fellow comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev.
'Inquilab Zindabad' were his last words.
Let us remember him at least for once in a year, on 27th September, as we do for Mahathma Gandhiji on October Second.
Though we do not possess his concern/care/skill/hunger towards the betterment of our country, let us remember Singh's contribution to Indian society and, in particular, the future of socialism in India.
-- courtesy Wikipedia.
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