Remembering Martyr Sukhdev Thapar On 15th May, A Birth Anniversary Tribute--the Lahore Conspiracy Case: -crown Versus Sukh Dev And Others-

May14,2024 | Jagrati Lahar Bureau | Ludhiana

Remembering Martyr Sukhdev Thapar on 15th May, a birth anniversary tribute--The Lahore Conspiracy Case: -Crown versus Sukh Dev and others- The Lahore Conspiracy Case -Crown versus Sukh Dev and others- had pinned old Ludhiana citys Naughara Mohalla born (15 May 1907), Sukhdev Thapar as a key conspirator and accused when he was 22 besides other Martyrs Bhagat Singh and Rajguru of almost the same age and their many other young accomplices. The incidents leading to the constitution of this case had shaken the very foundations of British Imperialism in India in the late 1920s in the nations freedom struggle. The martyr trio was ultimately sentenced to death and hanged on 23rd March,1931 while many other got life imprisonment and deportations. Tracing Sukhdevs span of life, it is evident that he was only three years old when his father, a very small businessman Ram Lal Thapar passed away. Young Sukhdev was brought up thereafter under the care of his uncle Achintram Thapar at Lyallpur (Now in Pakistan). Achintram was a prominent member of civil society there supporting the freedom movement whose arrest in 1919 and then in 1921 left an agitation and resentment in Sukhdevs mind and he committed himself to fight against this. The families of Sukhdev and Bhagat Singh knew each other. The young lads after their schooling opted to be on the rolls of National College, Lahore which was then founded by none other than the famed freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai to train young men in social service. The young brigade relished the spirit of open and free intellectual inquiry to question and discuss with their teachers in the college about worlds revolutions vis-à-vis Indias freedom struggle. The college teacher who exerted the greatest influence was their political science professor Jaichandra Vidyalankar. Besides this, they regularly visited the Dwarkanath Library which was also started by Lala Lajpat Rai. The library had abundant books on political literature and journals of current affairs which fancied them. Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev discussed these books for hours in their rented room. Lahore being the great epicentre of education and trade in the then undivided Punjab, it attracted young talents to citys colleges. Freedom movement struggle touched every Indian. These young boys formed a student outfit Naujwan Bharat Sabha in March 1926 at Lahore. In this organisation which was entirely socialist and non- religious in nature, Sukhdev and Bhagat Singh played an important role with a sole object of preparing the youth of Punjab to work with them. The elders of these young men were already established connections with Hindustan Republic Association which was formed by Ram Parsad Bismil and others in 1924 in Bengal. Formation Of Hindustan Socialist Republic Association (HSRA) Lahore based young revolutionaries especially started meeting likeminded youth of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Punjab. In a meeting on 8-9th September,1928 in Delhi, at Ferozeshah Kotla, they announced the formation Of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). Thus, the word Socialist was added in the HRA and it was known as HSRA. Both Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev hated communalism and wanted a just society. Chandrashekhar Azad was made commander-in-chief of HSRA. The character of the organisation being mutinous against the British government. In view of his organisational upmanship Sukhdev, one of their stalwarts was assigned a key role for Punjab affairs. It was here only they decided to oppose the Simon Commission and also to start bomb making units in Saharanpur, Agra and Lahore. Revolt against Simon Commission The Britishers sent the Simon Commission to India to study the working of the Indian Government under Govt. Of India Act of 1919 in which there was no Indian member in the commission. The Lahore based Indian political groups and revolutionaries jointly decided to oppose the commission on its arrival at Lahore railway station. On October,30,1928, the Naujwan Bharat Sabha activists led by Sukhdev and others joined Lala Lajpat Rai who came with hundreds of followers there. These young men gave Lalaji a protective cover as the police has been threatening the demonstrators. But, the Lahore Superintendent Of Police James A. Scott ordered a lathi charge. Spotted by Scott, Lala Lajpat Rai was brutely beaten-up by the police with severe injuries on his chest, which led to bleeding. Later,a meeting was held at Mori Gate, Lahore where Lala Lajpat Rai spoke despite his injuries and said, I declare that the blows struck at me will be the last nails in the coffins of British Rule in India. At this place ,Dy Supdt. Of Police Neel laughed at him, which pained and stirred Sukhdev the most as he was present at the spot. Lala ji had died after a few days of injuries. The HSRA voted to avenge the insult and death of Lalaji by killing Police officer James A. Scott responsible for lathi charge. J.P Saunders Assassination The revolutionaries Sukhdev and others studied the movements of J A Scott to his office in Lahore for several days. Ultimately, as per plans finalised at the behest of Sukhdev, his trusted comrades Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Chandrashekhar and Jaigopal were assigned the task. The planned assassination of J. A. Scott was to take place on 17th December,1928. The revolutionaries reached the targeted place. But they killed another officer J. P. Saunders, a 21 years old Asstt. Supdt. of Police when he came out of his office in the evening as a mistaken identity for Scott who was in fact away to Kasur province on that day. In this shooting revolutionaries also accidently killed Chanan Singh; a head constable attached with Saunders. Youthful revolutionaries pasted handwritten posters at night in the Lahore city ,The death of lala Lajpat Rai Avenged . In the evening the next day, all these revolutionaries later escaped by an evening Calcutta bound train the next day with their changed identities and clothes. In Calcutta, Sukhdev learnt the bomb making techniques. After sometime these revolutionaries kept regrouping at Agra, Saharanpur and Delhi. Delhi Assembly Bomb Incident In the year 1929, British Government in India tried to pass two bills -The Trade Disputes Bill and the Public Safety Bill in the Delhi Assembly. The sole motive of Britishers bill was to restrict activities of revolutionaries who were preparing people against the government. All nationalist opposed the bill. The youthful members of HSRA decided to mark their symbolic protest by raising their voice by exploding 2 bombs in the Assembly Chamber on 8th April,1929. The task was given to Bhagat Singh and B K Dutt. Here this is pertinent to add that other members of HSRA were opposed to exposing and sending of Bhagat Singh for the task knowing well that he was already involved in Saundras killing at Lahore.But it was Sukhdev who annoyingly prevailed upon committee ultimately to send Bhagat Singh in the assembly blast task as he was always confident about Bhagat Singhs meticulous execution. After throwing bombs and leaflets they shouted Inquilab Zindabad -. Both were arrested as they did not run to escape. Sukhdev remained very upset for many days, always thinking of Bhagat Singh to whom he argued and loved most too. Later, Sukhdev Thapar too was arrested along with Pandit Kishori Lal and Jaigopal from their hideouts . Lahore Conspiracy Case 1929 The police got convinced that Sukhdev was the brain behind all the plans of the revolutionaries who basically first got active from Lahore. The cases first information report (FIR), was submitted in April 1929 by Hamilton Harding, Senior Superintendent of Police, in the court of R.S. Pandit, Special Magistrate which lists Sukhdev as accused number one being the mastermind. The case came to be known as 1929 Lahore Conspiracy Case was officially titled as Crown versus Sukhdev and others.- The case file mentioned him as Swami alias peasant, son of Ram Lal, of Thapar Khatri caste. All the arrested revolutionaries including Bhagat Singh & B K Dutt were brought to Lahore Central Jail as police strongly believed that conspiracy of their activities was originally hatched in Lahore itself. In this jail, the revolutionaries also went on hunger strike for several days and they were violently forced fed. They were beaten too in the jail. But they kept insisting for same treatment as was given to prisoners of wars arguing that they are waging war against The Crown to free their nation. They spoke their anger to the judges in the courts and also refused to be present there in future. Regular adjournments of the case took place. Lahore Conspiracy Case Ordinance, 1930. Though the case trial began on July 11th 1929 in the Special Magistrates court, the proceedings could not conclude despite many dates in the case. Then, the Viceroy Irwin with his special powers through Section 72 of the Government of India Act, 1915, on May 1st,1930 swiftly passed the Lahore Conspiracy Case Ordinance 91 to resume the hearing in a Special Tribunal of three judges. Their judgement was not to be challenged and only the privy council in London could hear the appeal. His reason given for enacting the Ordinance was the non-cooperation of the accused because of hunger strikes, their disorderly conduct in court and adjournments delaying the conclusion of the case. This ordinance was neither ratified by the Central Legislative Assembly nor the then Council of State. The tribunal was bound to finish judgement within 6 months and it did the same without giving fair opportunity to the defendant revolutionaries through their families and lawyers and their supporters in India or in London. Clearly, the sole motive of this ordinance was to pass a quick judgement of death sentence to the revolutionaries which was ultimately passed on 7th October,1930 unfortunately. Thus, the British government succeeded in the quick culmination of this judicial murder as many legal luminaries said so. In March,19,1931 Pran Nath Mehta, counsel of Bhagat Singh met all three in their cells for their consent to move a mercy petition. Both Sikhdev and Rajguru became furious at the idea. However, before counsel advocates could turn on 20th March again, this TRIO already made their own petition to jail authorities. They wrote that there was a war between Englishmen and the Indian people and they have definitely taken part in the war, so they will be treated as state prisoners. They asked that instead of hanging they should be shot like prisoners of wars. Like earlier proceedings in the case, this Tribunal too regarded Sukhdev to be the brain of the conspiracy with Bhagat Singh as his right arm who both brought expert marksman Rajguru in their plans for the shooting that killed Saunders. Hanging of Martyrs Hanging of martyrs was planned on the morning of 24th March. But, sensing trouble outside jail, the authorities preponed the previous evening of 23rd March,1931. The relatives of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev reached to meet them before hanging. For Sukhdev only his mother Ralidai Thapar and Mathradas Thapar were allowed, whereas uncle Chintram was not allowed to see him despite having carried a letter from Chief Secretary Punjab. Sukhdev before being taken to gallows was asked by the jailer for any wish. He only said, Return back his carrom board to the family. Sukhdev, Bhagat Singh and Rajguru embraced each other and were put to gallows amidst chants of Inquilab Zindabad in the jail premises by other prisoners. This alerted people outside. Crowds started assembling soon. But bodies were not given to relatives despite their request to the jail authorities, but secretly taken by the police motors from Lahore to Ferozepur on the banks of river Sutlej for cremation at the dead of night.

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