Shaheed Diwas is celebrated 0n the 23rd of March every year in the memory of Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar for their utmost sacrifice for India’s freedom. On 23rd March 1931, these brave freedom fighters were hanged to death in the Lahore Jail by the Britishers.
Shaheed or Martyr means a person who sacrifices himself/herself for the cause of Dharma (Righteousness). Veergati is a similar term used for the utmost sacrifice while protecting Dharma.
Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were sentenced to death in the Lahore conspiracy case and ordered to be executed on 24th March 1931 then why they were hanged on 23rd March?
Shaheed Diwas: The execution day
The young freedom fighters of India Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar sacrificed themselves to free mother India from the clutches of Britishers. Each and every freedom fighter’s sole goal was to attain Swaraj and threw the Britishers out of India.
To achieve Independence from British rule various Freedom Fighters fought and even sacrificed themselves and attained Veergati. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were some of those freedom fighters who attained Veergati while fighting the British. They were hanged to death on 23rd March 1931 in the Lahore Jail.
Shaheed Diwas is the day on which the people of India remember their heroes who fought for the Independence of mother India. This was the day on which Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were hanged and their death anniversary is observed as Shaheed Diwas, 23rd March.
Shaheed Bhagat Singh
Shaheed Bhagat Singh was born to Sardar Kishan Singh and Vidyavati on 28th September 1907 in Jaranwala, Punjab now in Pakistan. Bhagat Singh at an early age was deeply affected by the incident of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre that took place on 13th April 1919. He was filled with rage and decided to fight for the motherland.
In 1928, Lala Lajpat Rai was leading a silent protest against the Simon Commission in Lahore when James Scott the Superintendent of Police ordered a Lathi-Charge on the protestors. Lala Lajpat Rai sustained severe injuries and died of them a week later.
To avenge Lala Lajpat Rai’s death Bhagat Singh and his mates decided to kill James Scott but mistakenly they shot John Saunders. After this shootout in April 1929, Bhagat Singh along with Batukeshwar Dutt threw two bombs inside the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi.
They were arrested after some time, while in prison Bhagat Singh went on to Fast for 116 days to protest against the British atrocities. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were sentenced to death in the Lahore conspiracy case and ordered to be executed on 24th March 1931 but they were hanged on 23rd March, 11 hours early.
Shaheed Shivaram Rajguru
Shaheed Shivaram Rajguru was born to Hari Naryan and Parvati Bai on 24th August 1908 in Khed, Bombay Presidency now Rajgurunagar in Maharashtra. In 1960 the name of the town was changed to Rajgurunagar in honour of India’s freedom fighter Shivaram Rajguru.
Shivaram Rajguru was the youngest of the three freedom fighters hanged on 23rd March 1931. He was just 22 years old when he was executed along with his mates Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev Thapar.
Rajguru was an admirer of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja and his guerrilla warfare tactics. He was the one who assassinated British Police officer John Saunders whom he mistook to be James Scott, the police officer who gave orders for Lathi-Charge on the protestors against the Simon Commission, which lead to the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.
Shaheed Diwas is celebrated in the memory of these young Bravehearts and freedom fighters who walked onto the gallows and sacrificed their lives for the motherland. I just want to say here that “Noting is for free in this world, you have to pay a price”.
People should respect this freedom and freedom fighters because we can’t even count the price that we have paid to get freedom from British Rule.
Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar
Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar was born to Ramlal Thapar and Ralli Devi on 15th May 1907 in Ludhiana, Punjab. Sukhdev refused to salute the British officers when he was just a schoolboy, He Breaks free from the shackles of British oppression and promoted Nationalism among the youth of the Northern parts of India.
On 23rd March 1931 young Bravehearts of India Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were hanged to death by the Britishers. India celebrates 23rd March as Shaheed Diwas in the memory of these young freedom fighters who walked onto the gallows with a smile on their faces and sacrificed their lives for the motherland.
Why Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries were hanged?
In the year 1924, Bhagat Singh in Kanpur joined the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) started by Sachindranath Sanyal. HRA believed that armed revolution was the only way to fight British Imperialism. In 1930 when Chandrashekar Azad shot himself while fighting the British, the Hindustan Socialist Republic Association (HSRA) collapsed formerly known as HRA.
In the year 1927, He was arrested for association with the Kakori Train Robbery Case in which the HRA freedom fighters on 9th August 1925 looted the Number 8 Down train near Kakori. Kakori Train Robbery was planned to raise funds for the HRA from British Administration by force.
In 1928, Lala Lajpat Rai was leading a silent protest against the Simon Commission in Lahore when James Scott the Superintendent of Police ordered a Lathi-Charge on the protestors. Lala Lajpat Rai sustained severe injuries and died of them a week later.
To avenge Lala Lajpat Rai’s death Bhagat Singh and his mates decided to kill James Scott but mistakenly they shot John Saunders. On 8th April 1929, Bhagat Singh along with Batukeshwar Dutt threw two explosive devices inside the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi.
Bhagat Singh threw two bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly with the purpose of making ‘The Deaf Hear’. Their purpose was not to kill or injure anyone as later told by them. Bhagat Singh and Dutt didn’t try to flee from there but they shouted the slogan of “Inquilab Zindabad-Long Live Revolution”.
Bhagat Singh and B.k Dutt were arrested and in June they were sentenced to Transportation For Life-Punishment in which convicts are sent to distant places. Later, Bhagat Singh was trialled for the Lahore Conspiracy case (The case of the assassination of British Police Officer J.P Saunders) along with Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar.
Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were sentenced to death in the Lahore conspiracy case and ordered to be executed on 24th March 1931 but they were hanged on 23rd March at 7:30 PM.
India celebrates 23rd March as Shaheed Diwas in the memory of these young freedom fighters who walked onto the gallows with a smile on their faces and sacrificed their lives for the motherland.
Why Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were executed 11 hours early?
Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were sentenced to death in the Lahore conspiracy case and ordered to be executed on 24th March 1931 then why they were hanged 11 hours early on 23rd March at 7:30 PM?
“De di hame Azadi Bina kharag Bina dhaal, Sabarmati Ke Sant tune Kar dia Kamaal”
People who believe in the above quote, I would like to tell you that there is nothing free in this world you have to pay a price for everything. To make India free from British Rule more than 6,00,000 revolutionaries sacrificed themselves and attained Veergati. This is the price we have paid to get freedom from British Rule.
British Government was trembled to execute Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev that’s why British Parliament called for a special Parliamentary session to discuss, Can Bhagat Singh be forgiven and stop their execution?
The reason for calling a special parliamentary session by the British Government was the reports of the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) which stated that if Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev will be hanged then the whole of India would rebel against the British Government and it will be difficult for them to rule India.
In 1931, when Gandhi Ji and Viceroy Irwin had a meeting in London, Irwin said to Gandhi Ji that they can forgive Bhagat Singh and stop their execution on the condition that Bhagat Singh writes a letter seeking forgiveness to the British Government with his signature.
Gandhi Ji passed this message to Bhagat Singh in the Lahore Jail and Bhagat Singh in his reply says, I do not agree to any condition of British because I have not done anything wrong.
Read About: 1947 Partition of Indian Subcontinent, Birth Of A New State: Pakistan and Millions of people killed
British Government knew that if they execute Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev then the whole of India would rebel against British Government and it will be difficult for them to rule India. That’s why the British Government decided to execute the revolutionaries a day before the scheduled time to avoid the rebellion in India.
Conclusion
Shaheed Diwas is celebrated 0n the 23rd of March every year in the memory of Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar for their utmost sacrifice for India’s freedom. On 23rd March 1931, these brave freedom fighters were hanged to death in the Lahore Jail by the Britishers.
India celebrates 23rd March as Shaheed Diwas in the memory of these young freedom fighters who walked onto the gallows with a smile on their faces and sacrificed their lives for the motherland. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev are the true inspiration for the youth all over the world.