2 1

CHAPTER - II.

EARLY AGE AND PARENTAGE·

Bo rn on 28th Seitember, 1907 in the village of

Banga-Chak No . 105 G . B . , in the district of Lyallpur , Bhagat

1 Singh was the second son of Sardar Kishan Singh . The times

in which he was born can be characterised as those of extreme '

political commotion and disturbance . Lala Laj pat Rai himself'

described the political situation in the Punj ab in one of'

his J.etters to Bhai Parmanand Ji thus : "The people are in

s�en mood. Even the agricultural classes have be gun to

agitat e . My only fear is that the bursting out may not be

premature . 112 Soon peasant uprisings took place in Guj rat , in

the regions of Lyallpur, Rawalpindi , Lahore and Ferozepur in

Punj ab , in the indigo plantations of Bihar and in the j ute

groWing areas of Bengal, particularly in Mymensingh region.

Of all these uprisings the peasant revolt in Punj ab is of

great significance . The Colonisation Bill , enhancement of

water rates on the Bari Doab Canal and the ever-increasing

land revenue were the sources of' continuous discontent among

the peasantry. 3

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 . Jagat Singh, was thv first son of Sardar Kishan Singh who died at an e arly age of eleven and therefore the controversy over the matter that Bhagat Singh was the eldest son of Sardar Kishan Singh stands out as basele s s , vide Sanyal , J . N . , "Amar Shaheed Sardar Bhagat Singh " , p . 1 8 . , also Aj it Singh Aas , "Ankheela Khoon ( Shahee d Bhagat Singh) " , p .14 .

2 . Indian Sedition Committee Report, 1 9 1 8 . , p . 1 43 .

3 . "In 1 907 a wave of' sedition pas se d all over India including the Punjab , we know, too, that wave of sedi tion has kept ebbing and flowing since then" . vide the Lahore Conspiracy Cas e , judgement dated 1 3th September, 191 5 , Part IIIA(1 ) p . 1

,· , j

� · ( �

2 3

The family in which he was born was remarkable for

its s talwarts. His grandfather, Sardar Arj un Singh, a scholar

in sanskrit, Persian and Urdu, actively participated in the

social wo rk and religious reform movements . in the nineteenth

century . He was a man of conviat ion with radical ideas and

oppo sed to rigid traditionalism . Though from the family of

Jat Sikhs , he adopted the ideals of the Arya Samaj . In 1 89 3 ,

Sardar Ar j un Singh was one of delegates to the Congress

ses sion held at Lahore and his hmne was the centre of the

activities of the radicals of the Punj ab . In 1 906 , his three

sons , Kishan Singh, t\;i it Singh and swaran Singh , founde d the

1 Bharat Mata Society ' along with SUfi Amba Prasad, Kartar

Singh , LaJ.a Hardyal , Mahasha Ghaseeta Ram, Banke Dyal and

Kidar Nath Sehgal. 1 The simmering diseontent o f the peasants ' of the Punjab was very properly capitalised by these leaders

and the masses responsed to the repression of the Government

by open revolt . When Bhagat Singh was born , his father

Sardar Kishan Singh was undergoing imprisonment in the Lahore

Central Jali because of his active participation in the agi­

tation against Colonisation Act . On the other hand, one o f

his uncle , Sardar Aj it Singh was going through torture in the

.t1andalay Jail , 2 and the other, Sardar swaran Singh, was

Cont ' d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1. Sandhu, V. , op . cit. p . 83

2. Agitation against the Coloni s ation Act was launched by Sardar Aji t Singh uncle of Bhagat Singh. He along with radical leader L ala Lajpat Rai were deporte d to Burma under the Regulation Ill of 1 81 8 .

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1 enduring extremely hard labour in Lahore Borstal Jail. But

the arrival of Bhagat Singh prove d to be fortunate omen for

the family which had been facing hardships for quite some

25

time. his father and uncle s were all released from the prison

after his birth. I t was because of this happy and welcome

coincidence that he was name d as 1 Bhagaxn�ala1 ( lucky child)

by his grand-mothe r. 2

Bhagat Singh was full of promise right from his early

childhood. His temperament was not like that of other

children. From his very early days he was int e re sted in

knowing more and more about his people and his eountry, and

this ultimately b rought him in perfect tune wi th his glorious

f�ily tradition, which was steeped in the principles of

nationalism and patriotism at a time when the country was

pas sing through the hardest phas e of British b ondage. Early

in his life Bhagat Singh' s spontaneous nationalistic feelings

were intensified by the suffering of his aunt Harnam Kaur who

use d to weep mo st o f the time b ecause of the absence of her

husband. Bhagat Singh ' s uncle Sardar Aj it Sing h was at that

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 . Bhagat Singh 1 s uncle , Sardar Bliarn Singh, though unkonwm , was also an ardent nationalist . He was arre s ted on charges of s edition. His health failed as a consequence o f harsh treatment in the jail and he died a premature death in 1 9 1 0 at an early age of 23 years , vide Sandhu, v. , op . cit. pp. 1 52- 1 56.

2. Saadhu, v. , op. cit. p. 170

2 5

1 enduring extremely hard labour in Lahore Borstal Jail. But

the arrival of Bhagat Singh proved to be fortunate omen for

the family which had been facing hardships for quite some

time. his father and uncles were all released from the prison

after his birth . I t was because of this happy and welcome

coincidence that he was named as 1 Bhagarn�ala1 ( lucky child)

by his grand-mother . 2

Bhagat Singh was full of promise right f'rom his early

childhood . His temperament was not like that of other

children. From his very early days he was interested in

knowing more and more about his people and his eQuntry, and

this ultimately brought him in perfect tune With his glorious

family tradition , �t1ich was steeped in the principles of

nationalism and patriotism at a time when the country was

passing through the hardest phase of British b ondage . Early

in his life Bhagat Singh' s spontaneous nationalistic feelings

were intensified by the suffering of his aunt Harnam Kaur w ho

used to weep most of' the time b ecause of the absence of her

husb and . Bhagat Singh ' s uncle Sardar Aj it Singh was at that

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 . Bhagat Singh 1 s uncle, Sardar Bvarn Singh , though unkon'WIIl, was also an ardent nationalist . He was arrested on charges of sedition. His health failed as a consequence of' harsh treatment in the jail and he died a premature death in 1910 at an early age of 23 years, vide Sandhu v. op . cit . pp . 1 52- 1 56 .

' '

2 . Saadbu, v. , op . cit . p.170

time living 1n exile , after his release from the Mandalay

J ail. 1 It was only natural that his aunt who was constantly

anxious about her husband, and who had no children of her

own , should have lavished all her love on young Bhagat . The

boy himself was too young at that time to comprehend her

agony , but a kind o f sympathy and bond deve lope d between

them. She often use d to take him on her lap and burst into

tears . Who could imagine at that time that a child who

2 8

wiped the tears of an unhappy woman, would one day sacrifice

his all to wipe the tears o f his motherland 1 Only a few

years later Bhagat Singh became quite aware of the causes

Which made his aunt unhappy, and he now was able to console

her by saying , "Auntie , don ' t weep , when I g ro w up , I will

drive the British out of India and bring my uncle back " . 2

Thus the family atmosphere of Bhagat Singh contributed consi­

derably to the development of his revolutionary spirit which

was to find the fullest expression in times to come.

Bhagat be gan his educational career at the age of

five When he was admitted to a primary school in his village

Banga. His devotion and dedication to studie s and sharp

memory coupled with his lovable and sociable nature made him

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 • From Nandalay , .Aj it Singh returned on 1 7 th November, 1 907 •

He and Kishan Singh attended Surat Congres s where he side d with extremists and met Lokmanya Tilak . He and Sufi .Amba P rasad actively circulated revolutionary literature and pUblishe d 1 Pe shwa • . Their activitie s attracted the atten­tion of the Government . Apprehending again arre st, he and Sufi left for I ran in 190 9 to propagate for the liberation of the country from ma abroad. From Iran he escaped to Germany via Turk ey and Austria . After the defeat of Germany , he escaped from Europe to Brazil . Aj it Singh returned to India 1n 1946 . He died at Dalhousie on 1 5th August , 1 947 With the following words on his lips : "Thank God, my mission has been fulfille d and now I depart for the Eternal Hom e n . Vide Sandhu, v . , pp . 1 00- 1 33. ( 2 ) Sandhu , v. , o p . cit , p .I7Z .

2 7

very popular amongst both his teachers and class-mates. senior

stUdents of his school had such great affection for him that

they even used to escort him right to his door a fter the school

hours . Bhagat Singh too enjoyed their company and learnt many

new things from them .

Evem as a student of class three and four, Bhagat Singh

showed signs of greater acaderni.'c maturity than some of his

senior school felltows . He sometimes even went tb the extent

of asking them about their aim and msion in lif'e after thei r

educat:f.on. 1 SUch questions on the p art: of the small boy were

perhaps indicative of his vague awareness of his future role

in the cause of his motherland.

After JR s sing class four, Bhagat Singh was taken to

Nawankot Lahore to j oin his parents there . One of the important

facts shout Bhagat Singh' s early educational career is that his

father, Sardar Kishan Singh, never wanted to get him admitted

to the Khalsa School and opted for D.A.V. School at Labore

1nstead. 2 The only possible reason for preferring D.A. V. School

was that the D. A. V. institutions were preparing their students

on the lines of Nationalistic Education. These institutions

played a vital role in inculcating a spirit of patriotism and

nationalism in their students and developing in them love and

Cont ' d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1. Sandhu, v. , p . 172

2. Sandhu v. , op . cit. p. 171t-. , also Sanya1 1 J.N. , "jmar &l.aheed Sardar Bhagat Singh", p . 18

2 9

respect for their country w1 th al.l its glorious socio­

economic, cUltural. and historical. heritage . They firmly

believed that the real welfare of the masses was possible

only by rooting out the age-old religious and social evils

Which -were being constantly nursed and nourished by the

British masters to serve their vested interest s . And so the

purpose of his enlijhtened parents in sending him to the

D.A. V. school, was easily understandable . When Bhagat Singh

was student, the political atmo sphere in Punj ab was charged

as a result of Ghadar Movement . During this p eriod, he came

in contact With the heroes of the movement , like Rash Bihari

Bose, Kartar Singh sarabha and others, who used to visit

5ardar Kishan Singh for consultation and financial assistance . 1

Though Bhagat Singh was only nine years old, the martyrdom

of Sarabha and other heroes made a deep impact on his fertil.e

and receptive mind.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre had shaken the whole

nation and stirred the masses with nationalistic feelings and

the fire of patriotism. Bhagat Singh could no t restrain

himsel.f and made a secret journey to Amr1 tsar to pa;y homage

to the place where the martyrs had fallen. 2 Under the call

of non-cooperation movement , thousands of students left their

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 . In his statement, Sardar Kartar Singh Sa.rab ha, one of the heroes of the Ghadar Movement sa;ys: "He had received lis 1 1 000/- from the brother of the seditionist !jit Singh " . vide Labore Conspiracy Case I Judgement ( 1 9 1 5') . Individual

'

case of Ka.rtar Singh Sarabha, p . 3 2 . Gupta, M.N. , ' Bhagat Singh and his Time s ' , p .78 1 also

Sandhu, V. , op . cit . p . 177

3 0

schools and colleges . Bhagat Singh also left the D. A. V.

school in 1921 , when he was a student of 9th class, and took

active part in the movement . He took keen interest in the

national problems and kept in touch With the prevalent poli­

tical situation, as is evident rrom the part of his letter,

dated 14th Novemb er, 1921 written to his grandfather -- "The se

days the rail waymen are preparing .for 1 hartal 1 ( strike) . It

is hoped that next week, soon, it will commence . 1

This early and continuous association with the patriots

and revolutionaries, and the political situation of the

country during his formative years, left a strong imprint on

his mind. He conveyed his desire to join National College

to his father through his close friend. Most of the student s

who took part in the non-cooperation movement joined this

college. His father agreed to this change from D.A.V. School

to National College . Bhagat Singh j oined the National

College although he had not passed the matriculation examina­

tion. The question of his admission w:l..thout the formal

quaJifications was left to Bhai Paramanandj i . He was allowed

to sit in a special examination after two months . fdious

as he was, Bhagat Singh passed the examination easily . The

National College of Lahore embodied the e ducational thinking

of its founder Lala Lajpat Rai . In that College , in addi­

tion to the normal subjects, special lectures on patriotism

- - - - -

1 . Sandhu, v. , p . 183

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

3 0

schools and colleges . Bhagat Singh also left the D.A. V •

school in 1921 , when he was a student of 9th class, and took

active part in the movement . He took keen interest in the

national problems and kept in touch With the prevalent poli�

tical situation, as is evident from the part of his letter,

dated 1 4th November, 1921 written to his grandfather -- 11The s e

days the railwaymen are preparing for 'hartal ' ( strike) . It

1 is hoped that next week, soon, it Will commence .

This early and continuous association with the patriot s

and revolutionaries, and the poJ.itical situation of the

country during his formative years , left a strong imprint on

his mind. He conveyed his desire to join National College

to his father through his close friend. Most of the student s

who took part in the non-cooperation movement joined this

college . His father agreed to this change from D.A. V. School

to National CoJ.J.ege . Bhagat Singh joined the National

ColJ.ege aJ.though he had not passed the matriculation examina­

tion. The question of his admission w.!.thout the formal

qualifications was left to Bhai Paramanandj i . He was allowed f to sit in a special. examination after two months . fdious

as he was , Bhagat Singh passed the examination easily. The

N ational. College of Lahore embodied the educational thinking

of its fo'Ullder Lala Lajpat Bai . In that College , in addi�

tion to the normal subjects, special lectures on patriotism

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 . Sandhu, v. , p . 183

Con t 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - -

3 1

and nationalism were delivered by eminent leaders and

freedom fi ghters . The atmosphere of patriotic feeling at

the institution was to make a deep impact on the newly­

admitted lad. Jay Chandra Vidyalankar was the Professor of

History in this college . He was also incharge of the secret

party in the Punjab . Vidyalankar recruited himself to the

party. 1 He was teacher who inspired the students most. He

noticed an intense patritic urge and revolutionary spirit

in the heart of Bhagat Singh . It was under his tutelage that

Bhagat Singh developed a keen interest in the study of

history and politics , the sub j ects which he also cbose for

his Intermediate Examination. 2 These two sub j ects helped

in strengthening the feeling of nationalism in him. A great

quality that this young boy was gifted With was his oratorical

talent . Whenever he addressed a meeting he always tried to

move the audience not only by his eloquenc e , but aJ.so by his

logical. and potent argunents . His sense of humour made his

speeches all the more intere sting. It is impo rtant to note

that during his college days Bhagat Singh did extensive read­

ing . It was then that he read Prince Kropotkin, biographie s

of Bakunin, and every kind ef socialist literature which he

Cont 1d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 . Chatterj i , J.c. , In Search o f Freedom, p . 219

2. " Slaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh" , PUnj abi Univer­sity Publication, p . 3

3 2

could get at Dwarka Dass Library, Lahore . 1 He wes greatly

interested :1.n music and drama too . While he was student of

National. College he fO\l!lded a club which used to stage plays

of Rana Pra tap and Chandra Gupta. 2 But all suc h activities

of the National Drama Club were soon declared to be seditious

by the Government and banned the club . 3 This only made the

young students feel more suspicious of the British Government

than ever.

Bhagat Singh eventual.ly passed his Intermediate Exa-

4 mination in 1 923. But the premature proposal for his marriage

came in the way of his completing his B . A. , and proved to b e a

very important development in his life . The reason why Bhagat

Singh' s marriage proposal. came so early was , that his grand­

mother in particular, and his family in general, were greatly

upset by the death of Jagat Singh, his elder b rother and

wanted to see that he was matrimonial.ly bound as early as

possible. This attempt on their part proved to be a turning

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 . Some of the books that Bhagat Singh read at this stage were : "Bandi Jiwan by Sanyal, the Report of sedition Committee , :t-fy Fight for Irish Freedom by Danbrinn, Lives o f Mazzini an d Garibal.d11 History of the French Revolution, Works of Russian writers and Voltaire , Lives of Russ ian Revolutionaries , Vera Finger, Kropotkin 1 s works, Cry for Justice by Upton Sinclair, Life of Barrister Savarkar, Collection from Bande Matram, etc ".

2 . Bha1 Parmanandj i , who Wa.s one of the audience at that time was so impressed by the excellent role played by Bhagat Singh that as soon as the drama was over, Bhagat S1.ngh was hugged up by him very spontaneously and affectionately,vide : Sandhu, v. , pp . 190.

3 . Soon after the club was closed by the Government which deli­berately impo sed a ban on it. vide, Sandhu, v. , p . 1 90 .

4. '!be propo sal. for his marriage was first made by Kisban Singh who had negotiated the engagement With the sister of Tej a Singh Mann , o f village MannanwaJ.la in Sbeikhpura District vide: Ibid, p . 190

1

point in the life of Bhagat Sing h. It became evident now

that , while his grandmother was determined to get Bhagat

3 3

Singh married at the earliest opportunit y, he himself was

equally determined to serve the mother-land instead, and

dedicate himself to its cause.1 The corre spondence that

passed between Kishan Singh and Bhagat Singh clearly reveals

the intense national feeling of this young patriotic son of

India. 11 • • • • • • • • • • • The country is calling me • • . • . • • • • Our

Whole family i s full of patriotism • • . . . . . . . • • • You have also

suffered a lot in jails. I am only folloWing in your foot­

prints and, thu s , dare to do this. You will kindly not tie

me in matrimony , but give your blessing that I should be

successful in my mission.2

These sentiments of the young

rebel upset K ishan Singh and once more he made a vain attem pt

to make Bbagat Singh yield : 11 . . . .. .. . it is my order that

you should not create any difficulty in the celebration of

the marriage and be prepared for it gladly) And thus arrived

the crucial moment in the life of the young patriot who went

to th e extent of saying , "I know that I shall be compelled

to get myself married. Therefore I am leaving this place

and going somewhere else. 114 Bhagat Singh who had made his

Cont8. . . .. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 . It ma;r further be noted that Bhagat Singh was also advised

by Sachindra Nath &l.nyal to dedicate himself to the cause of motherland and should not marry at that stage. vide Sandhu , V. , p . 1 92, also Chatterji J .c . , In Search of Free-dom, p. 22o, Sanyal, J. N. , 11Amar Shaheed Sardar Bhagat Singh , p .21

2. Letter written b y Bbagat Singh to his father cited by Deol, G. s. , Shaheed Bhagat Singh -- A Biography, p . 17 , also "Shaheed­e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh" , Punjab University , Patiala , p . lt-!l. Letter written b y &trdar Kishan Singh t o Bhagat Singh, cited by Deol, G. s. , Slaheed Bbag at Singh - A Bio graphy, page 1 91t-.

lt-. Ibid.

choice , lost no time in jumping into the arena to join the

other noble patriotic sons of the country. The last letter

he left 1n one of the drawers of his table while leaving for

Kanpur in 19231 read :

n Bespected Father,

Namaste ,

My life is dedicated to the supreme cause of India ' s

independence . Therefore , there is ab solutely no

desire 1n me for worldly comforts and pleasure s .

I hope you remember that on the occasion of

my sacred-thread ceremony , Bapuji (Bhagat ' s grand­

father) had declared that I was being dedicated to

the service of the nation. I am only fultilling

that pledge . I hope you Will forgive me .

Yours obediently ,

Bhagat Singh. n 1

Before parting With his friends he said:

"Friends, I tell you to-day that if

my marriage takes place in the slave

India , my bride shall be only death .

The 1 Barat' (Marriage Party) Will

take the fonn of a funeral procession

and the ' baratie s ' Will be the martyrs

of the country . n2

Cont ' d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 . Sandhu, v. , "Bhagat Singh - Patra Aur Dstave z . " , p . 23

2 . "Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat S1.ngh", Punj ab i Univer­sity, Patiala PUblication, page �.

3 5

Thus, on the one band, the curtain was drawn upon

a scene because of the rej ection of the marriage proposal and

cutting short of the academic career of Bb.agat Singh. On the other hand, a new stage was set where the true young devotee

of freedom appeared in full form to dedicate and sacrifice his life in the cause of his country. so in the inspiring

atmosphere of 1924-, the young rebel and revolutionary marched

towards the path of revolution With a firm resolve to do or

die in the noble cause of liberatilq his motherland from the

clutches of the alien rulers. He went to Kanpur which had b een

the focal point of operations of the leading Indian revolu­tionaries, like Chandra Shekhar Azad, Batukeshwar Dutt, B . K .

Sinha, Jogesh Chandra Chatterj i , and Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi . 1

Bb.agat Singh steyed with one of the close friends

of s.N. Sanyal whose name was Mani La1 Awasthi and who too

belonged to the revolutionary set . His first meeting With

Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, a great patriot and the owner of

the local 11Partap Press", enhanced the fervour of Bbagat

Singh. 2 It was on his advice only that Bhagat Singh changed

his name to Balwant and joined the Partap Pre s s . 3 Vidyarthi

encouraged Bb.agat Singh to learn journalism. He was sent to

Delhi as a regular correspondent to collect facts of the

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 . In the words of Sachindra Nath Sanyal, "On my advice Bhagat Singh let't his house and went to Kanpur. Initially hi.s stey was arranged at the house of Slri Man1 tal Awasthi. " vide, Sandhu, v. , p. 195'

2. Ibid, loc .cit. 3. Ibid, loc. cit .

36

communal riots in Daryaganj . On the basis of these facts ,

and with the help of SUresh Bhattacharya, he prepared a two

col\lllll story which was published 1n weekly ' Pratap ' • 1 It was

again here at Vidyarthi' s residence, that most of the revolu­

tionaries used to assemble and Bhagat Singh 1 s own close

association with them started. During these days, in his spare

hours, he read a great deal about the revolutionary history,

national liberation movements, socialism, and biographies of

those great noble souls who had dedicated themselves to the

cause of their motherland. All these factors made Bhagat Singh

more and more determined as a revolutionary and he joined the

Hindustan Republican Association which aimed at setting up a

republican form of government in India through revolutionary

methods. 2 Two of the fundamental principles of this party were

to hold progressive views, and preach and pr.apagate the commu­

nistic principles and ideology. As regards tapping of financial

resources for the running of the party, as far as possible it

was to b e through voluntary collect.ions and contributions and

not by resorting to raid and plunder. Every member of the

Hindustan Republican Association was required to devote his

whole time to the Association and to be prepared to risk his

Cont1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .. - - - - - - - - -

1 . statement of Suresh Bhattacha:r;ra in ''Bhagat Singh and His Times " by Gupta, M.N. , pp .86-87 .

2. In the third paragraph of the Constitution o:f the Hinduatan RepUblican Association, it has been clearly lll'itten that , "The basic principle of the republic shall be universal su!ferage and the abolition of all systems �ich make any kind of exploitation of man by man possible . " rtde H011e (Political) File Ho. ,37 5( 1925) i also the Constitution of H.R. A. in ' Terrorism in India , p . 195 - Appendix ' B ' .

life, if necessary. The programme of the Association,

divided into two parts -- P\lblic and Private -- was to be

as follows : -

I - PUBLIC .

1 . To st art associations 1n the forms o f cllJb s ,

libraries, sewa sammities and the lik e .

2 . To start labour and peasant organizat ions.

SUitable men must be engaged on behalf of the

association to organise and control the labourers

in the different factories , the railways and in

the c oal fields , and instill into their minds

that they are not for the revolution but that

the revolution is for them.

S1m:! l arly the Kisans must also be o rganised.

3. To start weekly paper in every province to

propagate the idea o f an independent Indian

Republic .

�. To publish booklets and pamphlets With a view to

enlighten the public as to the course of events

and the current of thoughts as prevalent in the

countries o utside India.

5. To utilise an d influence th e Congress and other

p\lblic activities as far as possible .

II - PRIVATE.

( a) To e stablish a secret press and through it to

publish such literature which cannot easily b e

published openly.

Cont' d • • • •

3 7

(b) To circulate such literature .

( c) To establish branches of this association in every

part of the country, dist rict by district.

( d) To collect funds in as many ways as po ssible .

( e) To send suitable men to foreign countries where they

may get military or scientific training so that they

may become military or scientific experts to take

charge of the armies and ammunition factories at the

time of open rebellion.

3 8

( f) To import arms and ammunitions and also to manufacture

them, as far as possible , in the country.

( g) To remain 1n close touch and co-operate with the

Indian revolutionaries outside India.

( h) To get members of the association enlisted into the

present army .

( i ) To enlist the sympathy of the public to our cause by

occasional retaliatory measures and propaganda and

thus create a band of sympathisers . 1

Armed with such an ambitious programme the band of

devoted and zealous revolutionaries were determined to prepare

a suitable atmosphere in which they c ould 1111stil the revolu­

tionary spirit 1n as many sons of the country as possible .

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 . Home Political File. Jl5 ( 1 925') 1 also the Constitution of HindUstan Republican Associ�'tion . Appendix ' B ' .

Bhagat Singh took up the ambitious programme of the party

earnestly, by preparing leaflets, propagating revolutionary

ideas and principles , and started distributing them on large)

scale amongst the Indian masses . He used to distribute such

literature on the occasions of self-assembled congregations

like fairs etc . , where the crowd used to be more receptive .

SUch p sychologically advantageous gatherings greatly helped

3 9

in preparing and enli sting the sympathies of the Indian masses

for an armed revolution. Describing an occasion, during the

Dussehra festival fair at Partapgarh, Deol , states : "At a

place where there was a big crowd, Bhagat Singh and his companions

started distributing pamphlets bearing the title ' Jago Mere

desh ke logo' ( Wake up my fellow countrymen) . 1 This writer

has described in detail how Bhagat Singh saved his friends

from the plain-clothed policemen by firing t'WO o r three shots

in the air which frightened them and ultimately made them

abandon the chase . This incident shows the amount of dash,

courage and presence of mind that Bhagat Singh had and shows

that he possessed the potential necessar.r to achieve his goal

with al l his zeal and devotion.

After staying at Kanpur for a couple of months only,

the full-fledged revolutionary once again underwent sudden

change from revolutionary-journalism to the role of the Head-

Cont 1 d • . • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 . Deol , G. s. , op. cit. pp . 20-21

. .

1 master of the National School, at Shadipur in Al.igarh district.

This offer too was accepted by him on the advice of Ganesh

Shanker Vidyarthi. The manner in which Bhagat Singh discharged

the duties as the academic head o£ the National School was

astonishing as well as commendable. 2 It revealed again the

tremendous organizing capacity, dynamic personality and awademic

excellence of this talented yo'lmg man. Bhagat Singh thought o f

this opportunity as God-given because here too he got a chance

to inf'use into the yo'lmg Indian students the feelings o£ natio­

nalism and patriotism.

All these activities were carried on by Bhagat Singh

without th• knowledge of his parents. This shows his total and � . · ..

whole-hearted dedication to the t ask of attaining his ultimate

goal. But on the o ther hand the members of his :family were

getting liOrried as they were in the dam regarding his where­

abouts for a long time. Despite the best efforts of Kishan

Singh to know about the activities of this yo'lmg man, nothing

could be discovered. It was in these circumstances that his

grandmother became seriously ill. and expressed her intense

desire to see Bhagat Singh. 3 It was 1mpossibl.e for Kishan

Singh to trace him. But strange are the ways o£ providence .

It so happened that Bhagat Singh had written a letter to one

of' his friends, Ram Chand, o f Montgomery. This man reveal.ed

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 . Cbatterji1 J.C. , ' In search of Freedom' , pp . 230-231 1 al.so Bandhu, v. , op . cit. p. 195

2. Ibid, p . 196

3. Ibid, P • 197

Bhagat Singh' s whereabouts to Jai Dev Gupta, another close

associate of Bhagat Singh and his family. Both of them proceeded

to K anpur to meet Bhagat Singh and give him the news of his

grandmother' s illne ss . But he deliberate:cy avoided meeting

them . It may s ound strange that Bhagat should have avoided

meeting his close .friends coming all the way from distant Lahore •

The reason, however, was that Bhagat Singh wanted to be free

from all .family entanglements . His friends had to return

disappointed, but they left the message for Bhagat Singh of his

grandmother' s illness With Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi and were

also fortunate to know the Congre s s leader, Maulana Hasrat

Mohan1, 1 another associate of' Sardar Kishan Singh. All these

developments were conveyed to Sardar Ktshan Singh by Jai Dev

Gupta. 2 Ail a resul.t Kishan Singh wrote a letter to Maulana

Hasrat Mohani about the illness of' his mother , reque sting him

to send Bhagat Singh back to Lahore in order to see his ailing l\·

gra��other. Hasrat Mohani was also assured through this

letter that Bhagat Singh would not be trapped in any matrimo­

nial b ond. 3

This was the condition which valued most . But

even so , Maulana Hasrat Mohani could not persuade him to go to

Lahore till Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi also joined him. It- This ��w

shCN s . f.... much more importance he gave to his fellow revolutio-

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 . Maulana Hasrat Mohani was an orthodox Muslim , but also held

radical views on politics . In 1 921 , he had put a resolution before the Ahmedabad congre ss seeking to dec lare independence as the goal of the Congre ss. Gandhij i opposed the resolution. Mohani was a torc etul. Urdu writer too. However, gradual:cy he tilted towards coumunalism .

2 . Sandhu, v. , op . cit. p . 1 97 3 . Deol, G . s. , Slaheed Bbagat Singh - £ Biography , p.22 4- . Ibid, loc. cit .

4 2

naries than to his o'Wil flesh and blood. However , at last , in

the beginning of 1 925, Bhagat Sipgh went back to Punjab reluc­

tantly .

Whlle Bhagat Singh was stlll in Lyallpur at his

village Banga, looking after his ailing grandmother, there

broke out the sensational Nabha episode, better known as ' Jaito

Morcha' or the Akali Jatha Incident in 1925 . 1 Maharaja Ripu­

daman Singh of Nabha state was deposed by the British only

because he had been a great sympathiser and helper of the

.&tali Movement. This led to a great deal of anti-British acti­

vity , and supporters of the Akali Movement had started marching

in full strength , in Jathas or groups all over the Punjab . 2

One such band of people was to pass through Bhagat Singh' s

village , Banga, and , therefore , the Jathedars of that group

approached Kishan Singh and reque sted him to welcome them at

the time of their arrival in their village . 3 Since Kishan

Singh was to be away on some urgent personal work , and he

entrusted the noble task of reception to his son , Bhagat Singh,

Who Whole-heartedly accepted it . The reception to the Jatha

was, on the other hand, being di scouraged and opposed by some

British stooges who were led by Sardar Bahadur Dilbagh Singh,

Cont 1 d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• • • •

- - -

1 . "Punjab Fast and Present" 1 Vol . v. , pp-368-390 . It must be pointed out that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru also partici­pated in 1 Jaito Morcha' . He was arre sted and kept in Nabha Jail. , vide "Autobiography" , pp. 109-1 16 .

2. Ibid.

3. Sandhu, v. , op . cit. p . 1 98

an unc1e of Bhagat S1ngh. 1 But Bhagat Singh ' s patriotic zeal

accepted the cha11enge as he was the ·firm supporter of the

refivallst movement (Akall Movement) to purge the Gurdwaras by

driving out corrupt Mahants (priests) . He appreciated the

progressive trehds developed, as a result of it , in the peasantry

of Punj ab . OverthroWing the Mahants , the most corrupt repre s en­

tatives of the feuda1 heritage in Gurdwaras 1 was as important

to him as the overthrowing of the British imperialism. Bhaga t

Singh went from house to house and collected a large gathering

of rural masses in his village . He dell vered so moving 1 eff'ecti ve

and convincing a speech in favour o f reception to the .Tatha , that

they al1 joined him and even extended an impres s ive at-home to

the members of the .Tatha when it passed through the deeply """""

nationalistic village of Banga. There was •J-... outburst of hospi-

tality . The .Tatha which was scheduled to stay for one day was

persuaded to stay :for three days , The reception was so well

organised and conducted that it boosted further Bhagat Singh' s

image as a true nationalist. 2 But as soon as this historic

event came to a glorious conclusion , the inglorious part o:f the

Briti sh masters , with the help of local toadie s , by way of

arresting Bhagat Singh, was to be played. But the seasoned and

dashing lad escaped to Lahore . From Lahore he p roceeded to

Delhi Where he again took up the j ournalist proression by serving

the daily 1 Vir Ar jun' • 3 He ass'UIIle d the name of Balwant Singh

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 . Sandhu, V. , op . cit. p. 199

2. Ibid, loc. cit. 3. Gupta, M.N. , Bhagat Singh and His Times, p.93

Cont' d - - - -

• • • •

and c ontinued to work for about '5 to 6 months . After the Akali

Movement-w.ve subsided, Bhagat Singh returne d to Lahore and

joined the other revo1uUDnaries .

The workers ' and peasant s • partie s , which appeared

after 192.6 , were of great significance in the history of the

Indian Revolutionary Movement. As alread:lfiiscussed, the decision

of the Indian National Congre ss leadership to c all off the non­

cooperation movement c aused great disgust among the masse s . A

section of the discontented petty �ourgeois young men, who had

. been innuenced by the Marxist ideology, abandoned the Congre s s

altogether and organized terrorist movements . These :lmmature but

militant Marxi sts could not ignore the lesson o f the past that

the masses, consisting of the working class and p easantry, were

the decisive force in the ensuing struggle for the national

liberation. As a result, the worker s • and peasants ' partie s were

established, which were the embodiment of the working class , the

peasantry and the urban petty bourgeoisie . In Punjab , the 1 Kirti

Kisan Party• (Workers' and Peasant s • P arty) emerged through the

amalgamation of the various groups o f workers and peasants of

1Amr1tsar and Laho re . The former members of the Ghadar party did

a great deal in helping to found the Punjab Kirti-Kisan Party .

This organization used to bring out paper called ' Kirti ' 1n

Punjab i and Urdu, which was editl'<l by Sohan Singh Josh. Bhaga t

Singh also joined the Kirti-Kisan P arty and collected funds for

the p arty . He was regular contributor to the Party• s organ ' Jfirti •

and he expounded the ideals of the party in his lfl'itings. 1 It is

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - -1 . "Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh" (PunJabi University fubli­

c at ion) p .6 . , also Statement of Phonend.ra Nath Gho sh , jpprover , Lahore Conspiracy Case Trial, p . 87

4 5

certain that Bhagat Singh and his comrades desired to make the

revolutionary movement as broadbased as possible and enlarge

their activities by working in a ssociation with Kirti group.

However, they wanted quick results and could not wait till the

workers and peasants would be properly organised, and the poli­

tical situation in the country become ripe enough to start the

revolution.

While Bhagat Singh was training a band of young

revolutionaries in Punj ab , he also maintained cl.ose contact

with the Hindustan Republican Association and the U.F . revolu­

tionaries. This can easily be proved by the fact that he went

back to Kanpur in November 1 925 with a definite plan to get

the fe.-llow-revolutionaries released from .Tail who had been

arrested in connection with the Kakori dacoity case.1

OWing to

the leakage rf the plan, Bhagat Singh could not succeed. Un­

daunted, he tried once again , in February 1 926 , only to fail

again . Later they also tried to rescue Jogesh Chandra Chatterj i .2

These unsuccessful attempts, however, could not dishearten

Bhagat Singh. He returned to Punjab and resumed the anti-British

actiVities With added zeal and vigour.

During the year 1 926 , the Indian political situation

fel.t the :impulse of the awakening among the youth of the country ,

Cont' d . . . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 . For the collection of funds for the party the members of the

Hindustan Republican Association looted a Government treasury by stopping the 8 Down train on 9th August 1 925 near Kakori Railway Station. The result was Kakori Conspiracy Case . , vide ' Terrorism 1n India' , p.7 1 , also GUpta, M.N. , They Lived Dangerously, pp . 202-203.

2. statement of Phanindra Nath Ghosh, approver, Lahore Conspiracy Case, Trial , pp . 1 08- 1 10.

who were frustrated with the policy of the Congre ss leadership

and desired active struggle against the colonial rule . Subhash

Chandra Bose aptly desil!ribed the mood of the youth at that time :

" The most encouraging sign of the year was the

awakening among the youth all over the country . They

were disgusted w1 th the narrow sectarianism of the older

generation and wanted to chasten public life with the

pure breath of nationalism . The youth movement appeared

under different names in different province s , but the

impulse behind it was the same every'hhere . There was a

feeling of impatience and revolt at the rotten state of

affairs -- a sense of self-confidence and a consciousnes s

o f the responsibili� which they had towards their

country . n1

Bhagat Singh took full advantage of the new stir and

de sired to harness this Youth Force to the mass revolutionary

action. He went to Lahore and launched a campaign for collec4>­

ing young people from the families of clerk s , handicraft

workers, peasants and tradesmen. He used to attract and convince

them by his forceful arguments. He rejected as fantast ic the

olti ' mendicant • policy of the Congre ss which sought to secure

qualified freedom for India by peaceful and non-violent agita­

tion. Believing in the policy of purification by blood and

sacrifice, he emphasized the effectivene ss of the revolutionary

action and called for a widespread network of secret societies

in order to achieve trillllph through terror. It did not take

Cont ' d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 . Bose, s. c . , The Indian Struggle , 1920-193�, p . 1 46

• • • •

- -

long for Bhagat Singh to get the approval of the entire body of

the new Punjabi revolutionaries to start a new organization.

Thus one of the mos t influential of the provincial Youth League s ,

known as Punjab Nauj awan Bharat Sabha, was established 1n March ,

1926 , by Bhagat Singh. 1 The founder President and secretary o f

the Sabha were sri Ram Kishan and Bhagat Singh himself respec­

tively. Bhagvaticharan Vohra was the publicity s ecretary of the

Sabha. Among melli:lers and patrons were such eminent persons as

Kedar Nath Sehgal , Saif'uddin Kichlew, Pindi Das , poet Lal Chand

Falak , M:1.r Abdul Majid, Sardul Singh Kavisher, Dr. Satyapal etc .

/ The prog-tamme of the Sabha comprised :

"Debates on moral, literary and social s ubjects,

the popularisation of SWadeshi goods, the ineulcation

o f sense of brother-hood, plain living and physical

1':1. tness and stimulation of interest 1n Indian languages

and civilization. Before enrolement e ach member was

made · to sign a pledge that he would place the interest

of his country above tho se of his community . "2

This shows that the Sabha was initially an exclusively

cultural and secular body. "It soon became clear however, that

the social obj ects o f the Sabha were only a cloak for the dis­

semination of revolutionary ideas . 113 Very soon the Sabha

sWitche d over to political programme s , which was indeed the

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 . "The Sa.bha owes its inception and existence to Bhagat Singh, n

vide Home Political Deptt. 1 930, Government o f India , File No. 1 30 , p . 5 .

2 . Home Deptt (Political) File No . 498/1930 , p . l 3 . Ibid.

principal. aim of the yomg revolutionaries. As :1s seen from

membership form of the Nau-Jawan Bharat Sabha , dated Jme 1928

( 6/&>cs/2h , page 255) that t:he aims and objects adopted by the

Sabha were :

" ( a) to establish a completely independent Republic

of the labourers and peasants of the �ole of

India;

(b) to infuse a spirit of patriotism into the hearts

of the youths of the country in o rder to esta­

blish a mited Indian Nation;

( c� to express sympathy with, and to assist, the

economic , industrial and social movements which ,

while b eing free from communal sentiments , are

intended to take us nearer to our ideal, namely ,

the e stablishment o f a complete independent

Republi.c of labourers and peasants ;

( d) to organize labourers and peasants . n1

It is obvious from the above that the most important

work of the Sabha was the propagation of the socialistic ideas ,

and of the necessity for strong action against the British

rule . It gained immense popUlarity and did much to imbue the

Punj abi youth With radical ideas . For three years the leaders

of the Nau-Jawan Bharat Sabha were in direct contact With the

EDndustan Republican Association which was an underground

terrorist organization formed after the Gbadar Party , and also

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 . Home Political Deptt . , Govt . of India, 1930 , File No . 1 30 , and K . w. , p.l

With the Punjab K1rt1 K1san party . In 1 928 Bhagat Singh and

his comrades issued a manifesto of the Nauj awan Bharat Sabha ,

.... which made it clear that only popuJ.ar mass revolutionary action

could liberate the country from colonial slavery , and put for­

ward the slogan "Revolution by the masses, for the masses . " The

manifesto laid stre s s on explanatory work 1n the Villages . The

Sabha did not consider it nece ssary to concentrate on building

mass revolutionary o rganizations of workers and peasants , holding

that, in addition to pm paganda, only acts of terrorism were

needed to rouse the people . For them terrorism was the inevitable

and most effective means of revolutionary struggle . The same

year, that is 1 928 , Bhagat Singh penetrated J. into the Lahore

students Union and s ecured its maximl.Dil support a s an auxiliary

of the Sabha. Accordin# to Government Report: "The Lahore

Students tbion was organized only as an appanage to the Nau Jawan

Bharat Sabha or as recruiting ground for revolutionary work and

from the very beginning the secret section of the Union kept

working to achieve that object . 111 The Nauj awan Bharat Sa.bha

celebrated, under the guidance of Bhagat Singh , the "Martyrs

Day in Bradlaugh Hall, Lahore, in the memories o f revolutionaries

sueh as Ram Prasad Bismal, Ashfaq Ullah Khan and others Who were

hanged in connection With Kakori Dacoity Case . At that occasion,

Cont 1 d - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• • • • - - - -

1 . Home Political, Govt . of India , 1930 , File No . 1 30 , p.6 , also " • • • • • • 1 With the help of some of my friends • • • •• • •• • •• • organized the Union. It was named as "Lahore Sj;udents • Union". The ob j ect or the student s • Union was to preach the creed of nationalism . But my association With it was due to the fact that I wanted to create public sympathy amongst the students ror the revolutionary acts that might be committed by the revolutionary party later on and also to get a ready stock of men tor the party . I was electe d first secretary of the students' thion. statement of Hans Raj Vohra , in Lahore Conspi­racy case Trial, page 1 67 .

5 0

moving speeche s were made and touching stories on the lives of

martyrs were narrated. An exhibition of ra�e photographs of

the Indian revolutionaries , through lantern slides was arranged.

This great opportmtity was very important for Bhagat Singh for

inspiring the youth to emulate the sacrifices o f those sons of

India 'Who had dedicated the ir lives to the cause of their mother­

land. 1

All such activities of Bhagat Singh, particularly his

knowledge of and association with Kakori case, were soon declared

seditious in nature, and he became a big eye- sore for the

Britishers. They started working for some excuse and grounds

to get Bhagat Singh arrested as soon as possible . The British

fabricators made the best use of the unhappy incident during

DUssehra festival. in October 192'7 at Lahore , when a bomb was

thrown by some anti-social elements on the c rowd. 2 This was

reason enough for the British rulers to round up Bhagat Singh .

The move was based only on suspicion and rumour. Bhagat Singh

was thus arrested for the first time in his life . 3 It i s

interesting to note that Bhagat Singh, during the course of his

detention was neither tried nor released on bail for a whole

month. It was only after a good deal of pressure from his p arents

and admirers that he was released on bail, with a heavy amount

Cont' d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - .- - - - - - - - - - - - -1 . Sanyal, .T .N. , Amar Shaheed Sardar Bhagat Singh, p.1 3 . 2. " Qlaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh" (Pubjabi thiversity

Publication) , page 6 .

3. He was detaine d in the Lahore .Tail for a fortnight and Borstal .Tail for another fortnight , vide Sandhu, V. 1 o p . cit.page 21 1 .

5 1

of 8ecur:l.ty of Rs 60 1 000/- . 1 While he was in the Lahore Jail ,

Bhagat Singh showed a tremendous amount of courage and endurance ,

10 bearing the torture meted to him by the jail authorities in

to extort the details of the histo ric Kakori incident.

After the cancellation o f bail in 1 928, Kishan Singh

once again tried to divert the attention of thi s young revolu­

tionary by opening a da:iry farm at Khasuria near Lahore for

him. 2

For some time Bhagat Singh took keen interest in the

farm, but soon he started devoting his time to revolutionary

programme and activities . During the nights he used to assemble

the revolutionaries at his farm it self to discuss the future

plans and programmes . Before long he stopped taking any interest

in the dairy and shook off the domestic shackles , and again

plunged into the National Movement along with the other revolu­

tionary leaders . This time he wanted to build up a really

effective revolutionary organization although there were numerous

obstacles in his wa:y . But in spite of the difficulties Bhagat

Singh, and his team of young enthusiasts never accepted defeat .

Some time in July 1928 , a meeting or the revolutionaries was

held at Kanpur. It was decided · that the prominent repre senta-

tive s should b e invited to form a Central Committee of the .... � '/ �<

- '�/ -( '

. ;?' • · . .to- ' revolutionaries , and to 11rg•• re-o rganize and s t rengthen the : ';,; ( : . . party on an all India basis. a With that object in view, a \\ .�(

Cont 1 d • • • • �· - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - � 1 . Rs 60,000/- were collected gy his father from Barriste r Duni

Chand (Lahorewale) and Sri Daulat Ram. Both o r them shared Rs 30,000/-each, vide , Sandhu, v. , op.cit . ,page 21 2.

2. Bhagat Singh could not take part in the revolutionary activities due to this heavy bail. He pressed his sUitttie s to ask the Government, that he should be either tried o r his bail was c ancelled. Fortunate ly , due to the e fforts or Dr. Gopichand Bhargava and other well wishers , his bail was cancelled sometime 1n 1928 , vide Gupta, M . N . , Bhagat Singh and His Time s , pp . 1 24-25; also Sandhu, V. ,p. 21 �.

3· Sanyal, J.N . , aar S1aheed Bhagat Si.ngh, page 1�.L ::5 ':::?

5 2

meeting of north India ' s representative revolutionaries was

held in the remnants of the Fort of Ferozeshah in Delhi on 8th

and 9th september, 1 928 . The revolutionaries 'Who participate d

in this meeting were SUkhdev and Bhagat Singh ( Punj ab ) , Kundan

Lal ( Rajputana) , Shiv Verma, B.D.Mahore, Jaidev Kapoor, v. K .

Sinha and Surindra Nath Pandey (U,p . ) , Fhanindra Nath Ghosh and

Manmohan Banerjee ( Bihar) . Chandra Shekhar &zad for some reasons ,

could not participate in the meeting although he conveyed his

willingne ss to accept its decisions and sent his good wisnes for

its success . 1

It is significant to note that the Bengal revolutio­

naries deliberately abs tained from the meeting b ecause they

wanted the entire movement to be guj.ded by the leaders of the

Musheelan Party. The Bengal school of revolutionaries also

held the view, that for the time being they should devote them­

selves to organizing, recruiting and collecting arms and ammuni­

tion, and they did not want to do anything which might warn and

alarm the Government . 2 But the new band of revolutionarie s wanted

to adopt a democratic pattern for their society which 'WOuld b e

based on the principles of joint responsib1lity, 3 The diffe­

rences could not be solved, and consequently, they deciided to

do without the help and guidance of the Bengal comrades . It was

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 . statement of Phonindra Nath Ghosh, Lahore Conspiracy Case

Trial, pages 82-83. 2. YashpaJ., Singhavalokan, Vol. I , pp . 1l.t-5-1lt8, also "SU.v Varma

reported at the meeting that he visited Bengal and inte rviewe d the members of the Bengal Revolutionary Pllty, and that they had toJ.d him that because we were in favour of terror111111 they would not join us until we abandoned terrorism f rom our pro­gramme . • statement of P .H .Gbosh, Labore Conspiracy Caae Trial , p.83.

1 . Yashpal, Binghavalokan , Vol . I , p. 1 �

5 3

at this meeting that Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev proposed that

their p arty shoUld be named as 1 H1ndustan Socialist Republican

ArmY ' . It was carried and adopted . 1 A Central Committee o f

seven was formed, composed of SUkhdev, Shiv Varma and P.N.Ghosh,

wbo were to be in charge of the PlUlja b, u.p . , and Bihar respec­

tively, Chandra Shekhar Azad hllad of the military department ,

Kundan Lal the propo sed head of central office , to be located

at Jhansi, and Bhagat Singh and B .K . Sinha, who were to act as

links between the provinces. 2 As 8·K . Sinha had abandoned h:1.s

home , Bhagat Singh was also asked to abandon his home, and have

his ha:1.r and beard and moustaches cut so that he could move more

freely and safely in all the provinces. Late r on this was done

ceremonially at Fero zepur. 3

To strengthen the party further, the members of the

IAssoc:l.ation were divided into two groups, an •Aet:l.ve Group • and

a group of helpers and sympathisers . Sardar Bhagat Singh

belonged to the Act:1.ve Group . '+ Terrorism combined with the mass

movement was adopted as a policy of the party . The immediate

programme included the rescue from j a:l.l of Jogesh Chandra Chatterj j

S.N. Sanyal, Kakori c ase convicts , and murder o f approvers :1.n

the case . Bhagat S:1.ngh also suggested that action should be

taken against the Simon Commission wh:l.ch was com:1.ng to. India,

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 . Yashpal, Singhavalokan, Vol . I , p . 1 '+5', also Statement of

P . N . Ghosh, Trial , p . 8i+. 2. Term r1Slll in India., p .? 3 . 3. Gupta, M . N . , Bha.gat Singh and His T:1mes, p . 1 29 also state­

ment of Ja1 Gopal , Lahore Conspiracy Case Triai, p . 16 , also St,nyal, J.N. , Amar �eed Bhagat Singh, 9.46

'+. statement of Lalit Kumar MUkherjee , Lahore Conspiracy Case Trial, page 1 89 .

our orga nization shoul d and that by that means/spread in India and our reputation

wo1.lld spread in foreign parts , and that this wuld be useful

if any member had to go abroad. 1 I t was further decided that

bomb-makers !'rom Bengal sho1.lld b e invited to instruct members

of the party in their art. For rai sing ftmds , the party was

to intensifY dacoities or forced contributions , but as far as

possibl e , through hold-ups of banks and treasurie s etc . Party

names were also assi gned, as under : 2

Bhagat Singh • • • • Ranjit

SUkhdev • • • • Villager

Man Mohan Banerjee • • • • Khudi Ram

Phanindra Nath Ghosh • • • • Dada

bbiv Varma • • • • Parbhat

Kundanlal Vidyarthi • • • • Partap

Chandra Sheikhar Azad • • • • Pandi t j i or Mah.ashej i

Jaidev Gupta • • • • Harish

On the conclusion of that conference , Bhagat Singh

and his companions left for Punj ab via Bhatinda. The police

in plain clothe s had begun a hot chase but Bhagat Singh could

do dge them w.Lth his rare qualities , bravery and intelligence ,

and they reached the destination s afely.

Cont 1 d • • • •

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 . statement of P .N . Ghosh, Lahore Conspiracy C�se Tr1al , p . 84-

2. Ibid, page 85, also statement of M.M.Banerj e e , Trial , pages 14-7 -1+8