Sukhdev lashed out at Bhagat Singh before the assembly blast: Said - you are afraid to die for the girl, Bhagat's answer as - soon you will get proof of this
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| Bhagat Singh |
On hearing the name Bhagat Singh, the picture of a young man with a mustache standing in a hat comes in front of our eyes. The story of drawing this picture is also interesting. 4 days before the Central Assembly bombing, i.e. on 4 April 1929, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt reached Ramnath Photographers at Kashmere Gate, Delhi, avoiding the eyes of the police. Jaidev Kapoor, a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), gave special instruction to the photographer – 'Our friend is going away from us, we need a very good picture of him.'
When Bhagat Singh reached the studio, he was wearing a khaki shirt and a felt hat on his head. In this dress, he was about to carry out the bomb blast. Along with carrying out the incident in his mind, the coverage of his newspapers was also drawn. It was the brainchild of Bhagat Singh. Taking the responsibility for revolutionary activities, he wanted to take it to the common man.
Today, after 93 years, I am standing at the same Kashmiri Gate, which has been a witness to revolutionary activities. Those selling the poster of Bhagat Singh on the roadside have no idea that this picture was first clicked here.
The morning of the assembly blast when the revolutionaries met for the last time
Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt had already started doing Reiki by visiting Delhi Assembly 3-4 days back. Sitting in the public gallery of the assembly, he had decided where the empty space was and where the bombs were to be dropped.
Date 8 April 1929. Morning time Morning walkers in Delhi's Qudsia Park were coming and going as usual. The last meeting of the revolutionaries with Bhagat Singh was going to take place in this park. Bhagat Singh's accomplice Sukhdev was aware of the entire planning of the assembly blast and the dangers involved. Therefore, Bhagat Singh called Durga Bhabhi and some revolutionaries from Lahore to Delhi on some pretext.
Durga Bhabhi is the same with whom Bhagat Singh eloped after killing Saunders in Lahore. Durga Bhabhi had brought oranges and Rasgulla for Bhagat Singh. Bhagat Singh loved Rasgulla very much.
See the discipline of the revolutionaries that even after this meeting, Durga Bhabhi did not even know what Bhagat Singh was going to do today. In HSRA, it was a rule that only the members of the core group were told about the big and important planning matters.
Even today the old trees in Qudsia Park are witnesses to that meeting of the revolutionaries. The building built in the garden is almost in ruins, but there is not even a board attached to the memory of Bhagat Singh. Alam is that even those who come here do not know that this is the historical place of meeting of the revolutionaries.
Like today's Parliament, there was a ruckus on two bills even then.
After the last meeting with Durga Bhabhi, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt started preparing to go to the Delhi Assembly Hall. The Parliament House that is today was called the Council House in 1929. In this council house was the assembly hall, which is today's Lok Sabha. Today, when there is a ruckus in the Parliament on issues like inflation and GST, 93 years ago the 'Trade Dispute Bill' and 'Public Safety Bill' were being discussed here.
There was tremendous anger among the revolutionaries about both these bills. The 'Trade Dispute Bill' had already been passed, under which strikes of workers were banned. At the same time, through the 'Public Safety Bill', the British government could keep the suspects in custody without trial. This bill was brought to crack down on those who raised the voice of independence.
Bhagat Singh wanted to give a message to the workers, farmers, and youth by blasting the assembly hall. The passes had already been arranged to enter the assembly hall.
April 8, 1929, the time 11 o'clock in the morning. Shortly before the assembly proceedings began, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt entered. Bhagat Singh was wearing a khaki-colored shirt and half pants. A gray coat was worn over the shirt. On his head was an English felt hat. It is said that he bought this hat from a shop in Lahore.
Both the revolutionaries had already done Reiki, so everything had to go according to planning. Without haste, both were listening to the proceedings of the House and were waiting for the occasion.
It's about 12:30 in the afternoon. Central Assembly Speaker Vitthalbhai Patel stood up to announce the results of the voting of both the bills. Then two bombs fell on the vacant places of the house and one after the other, there were two loud explosions. There was chaos all around. The assembly resonated with the slogans of 'Inquilab Zindabad, Imperialism Murdabad'. Those pink-colored pamphlets started flying in the air, which was prepared by HSRA colleagues under their planning.
Sir John Simon, Motilal Nehru, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, RM Jayakar, and NC Kelkar were also present in the House at the time of the blast. It was almost certain that the British would get both the bills passed.
Durgadas was present in this house as a journalist. As soon as he heard the sound of the blast, he ran towards the press room, so that the news of this blast could be conveyed to the world. He got the message detected to inform foreign news agencies about the incident, but the police immediately closed the main door of the assembly, showing strictness.
Immediately after the blast, Bhagat Singh fired with the same pistol that killed Saunders, a British officer. After the chaos, there was a stampede, there was such a crowd that Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt could easily run away, but the HSRA's plan was to arrest them.
Whatever revolutionary incidents took place before the bombing, whether it was the Kakori incident or the murder of Saunders, it had negative coverage in the media. The revolutionaries wanted that this time their actions should get a face and they should take responsibility for their actions.
After this, from the police action to the action of the courts, your views should be placed so strongly that it is covered in the media and can generate sympathy for the revolutionary movement among the common people.
The pamphlets that were tossed after the bombing in the Delhi Assembly read, 'The deaf need a loud bang to hear.' The first word of this pamphlet was 'Notice'. was.
After the incident, Batukeshwar Dutt was taken to the New Delhi police station and Bhagat Singh was brought to the Daryaganj police station. The Chief Commissioner of Delhi Police wrote to the Home Secretary, 'As per the report received from the SP of Delhi on the blasts in the assembly this afternoon, the two men who threw the bombs did not make any effort to escape. Bhagat Singh said that he is responsible for the blasts.
Date 9 April 1929. On the second day of the blast, there was a lot of media coverage of this incident. A newspaper wrote- 'Red warning to the government. You can kill people, not ideas.' Hindustan Times gave a full print of HSRA's red leaflet. According to the planning of the revolutionaries, people were now recognizing their rebellion. For about two years, newspapers across the country kept publishing about Bhagat Singh and his associates.
The Delhi Assembly bomb case also went on in court. During this, Bhagat Singh was imprisoned in the basement of the then Vice Regal Lodge in Delhi. Today this place is the Vice Chancellor's Office of Delhi University. The eight-by-ten room in which Bhagat Singh was imprisoned is still safe. There is a cot lying in that room and there is a picture of Bhagat Singh on the wall.
Historian S Irfan Habib, who did research on Bhagat Singh, says that the bomb used by Bhagat Singh was not meant to kill anyone. Their only aim was to make a loud bang. That's why he threw the bomb after seeing the empty space.
Learned to make bombs in Calcutta, prepared in Agra, and tested in Jhansi
A few months after the assassination of Saunders in December 1928, Bhagat Singh and the rest of the revolutionaries gathered at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. Here Bhagat Singh gave a message to his revolutionary comrades – 'Instead of a thousand pamphlets, a far more powerful propaganda can be prepared than one action alone.' The effort was to take the movement to the hearts and minds of the common people. It needed a big bang.
After this, the revolutionary reached Calcutta (Kolkata) to learn the technique of making bombs. There Bhagat Singh stayed in Chhajjuram ki Haveli. They looked for people who were experts in making bombs. During that time he got the support of revolutionaries like Jatin Das, and Yatindra Ghosh.
Now, these revolutionaries went to Agra. After coming to Agra, these people rented a small place in the asafetida market. A small library was also opened here. On the other hand, also started making bombs. The bomb was tested in the jungles of Jhansi. The bomb was already designed for the purpose that it would only explode. Do not harm anyone's life.
Who will give arrested for throwing a bomb in the assembly?.. Controversy over this
The bomb was tested and now the planning of action was going on. There were first suggestions that the Simon Commission should be targeted, but then there was a lack of resources. After this, all the revolutionaries agreed when the bomb was blown in the Delhi Assembly. Bhagat Singh put forward his name to carry out the action, but the file in the Lahore Conspiracy Case in which Saunders was murdered was not yet closed.
Chandrashekhar Azad was strongly against sending Bhagat Singh for the bombing. In the meeting, the names of Kanpur revolutionaries Shiv Verma and Batukeshwar Dutt were finalized for the bomb case.
When Sukhdev came to know about this decision, he got angry. He believed that only Bhagat Singh should go for this work. Sukhdev even called Bhagat Singh a coward and said that he is afraid to die for a girl.
After this, by writing a long letter, Bhagat Singh replied to Sukhdev.
In an atmosphere of happiness, I can say that we cannot remain without taking our stand on the question which we are discussing. I say out loud that I am full of hopes and aspirations and filled with the joyful colors of life, but can sacrifice everything in times of need and that is the real sacrifice. These things can never become a hindrance in the way of a man, provided he is a man. You will get the direct proof in the near future only.'
Know the story of Bhagat Singh's photo on the go
Ramnath had already taken the photo of photographer Bhagat Singh, but even after the bomb incident, these photos were not ready. After the arrest, the police took a photo of Bhagat Singh in the police station, and in front was the same photographer who had taken his photo 4 days ago. He immediately recognized Bhagat Singh.
Jaidev Kapoor did not know that the Ramnath photographers with whom he had gone to get the picture of Bhagat Singh had a contract to take photographs with the police as well.
Jaydev was afraid of what would happen if he went to collect the photos and the police caught him. That's why he took a pistol with him so that if anything untoward happened, it could be dealt with, but Ramnath photographers not only gave photos but also gave negatives as well.
Ramnath's photographer had refused to recognize Bhagat Singh even in front of the police. After 4 days this photo was published in Bande Mataram newspaper published from Lahore and the face of the Indian revolutionary movement came in front of the country.
