Prelims
Context: The nation observed the 87th martyrdom day of legendary revolutionary freedom fighter Shaheed Udham Singh.
About Shaheed Udham Singh:
Who He Was?
- Shaheed Udham Singh (born Sher Singh on December 26, 1899) was an iconic Indian political activist and revolutionary associated with the Ghadar Party and the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).
- He is revered for avenging the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre by assassinating Michael O’Dwyer in London.
Early Days:
- Orphaned at a Young Age: Born in Sunam, Punjab, he lost his mother at age three and his father a few years later. He was raised alongside his elder brother at the Central Khalsa Orphanage in Amritsar, where he was renamed Udham Singh.
- Witness to Jallianwala Bagh (1919): On April 13, 1919, while serving water to peaceful protesters gathered at Jallianwala Bagh against the Rowlatt Act, he witnessed the horrific massacre ordered by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer and approved by Punjab’s Lieutenant Governor, Sir Michael O’Dwyer.
- Global Travel & Aliases: To evade British intelligence, he adopted several aliases (including Frank Brazil and Ude Singh) while traveling across Africa, Europe, Mexico, and the United States.
Contributions to the Freedom Movement:
- Ghadar Party Mobilization: Joined the international Ghadar Movement in 1924 while living in the United States, organizing Indian workers and spreading anti-colonial literature.
- Smuggling Arms to India: Returned to India in 1927 at the call of Bhagat Singh (whom he considered his guru) to smuggle weapons and seditious literature. He was arrested by British police and served five years in prison.
- Assassination of Michael O’Dwyer (1940): After tracking O’Dwyer for years, Udham Singh shot and killed him at London’s Caxton Hall on March 13, 1940, during a joint meeting of the East India Association and the Royal Central Asian Society.
Last Days and Execution:
- Symbolic Identity (‘Ram Mohammad Singh Azad’): While in British custody, he signed his name as Ram Mohammad Singh Azad—a unifying moniker combining symbols of Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism, with Azad representing a free India.
- Trial & Hunger Strike: Held at Brixton Prison, he underwent a 42-day hunger strike during his trial at the Central Criminal Court, proudly declaring he was unconcerned by the prospect of death in the cause of national freedom.
- Execution & Legacy: He was hanged at London’s Pentonville Prison on July 31, 1940. In 1974, through the efforts of Punjab Chief Minister Giani Zail Singh, his mortal remains were brought back to India and cremated with full national honors at Sunam.
