BHAGAT SINGH (Syllabus: GS Paper 1– Modern History)

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently honoured the memory of the legendary revolutionary Shaheed Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh

• About: He was born in Banga village of Punjab, British India (now Pakistan).
• In 1925, inspired by European nationalist movements, he formed Naujawan Bharat Sabha.
• Influence: His family was influenced by the Ghadar Movement and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which fueled his early patriotism and revolutionary fervor.
• Books: Why I am an Atheist, Jail notebook.
• Ideology: Revolutionary, Socialist, secular.
• Values: Sacrifice, Courage, Bravery

Involvement in the Freedom Struggle

• HSRA Involvement: Bhagat Singh became a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), a revolutionary organization committed to overthrowing British rule through armed struggle.
• Protest Against Simon Commission: Lala Lajpat Rai led a protest against the Simon Commission, sustaining injuries in a police baton charge that led to his death.
• Assembly Bombing: Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt staged a non-lethal smoke bomb attack in the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi in April 1929 to protest repressive laws and draw attention to their revolutionary ideals.
• Lahore Conspiracy Case: He was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Lahore Conspiracy Case for the killing of J.P. Saunders, a police officer connected to Lala Lajpat Rai's death.
• Hunger Strike: Bhagat Singh's hunger strike challenged unequal treatment of Indian political detainees, demanding their rights and improved living conditions.