It Was On This Day That Bhagat Singh Was Executed: Find Out Martyrs Day Story  

March 23rd marks 88th death anniversary of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru, the three revolutionary heroes in India's freedom struggle.

Convicted for their involvement in the assassination of assistant superintendent of police John Saunders, the three freedom fighters were hanged by the British Raj on March 23, 1931. The day is observed as Martyr’s Day or Shaheed Diwas to pay respect to the martyrdom of these heroes, for their sacrifice for the freedom of the nation.

Bhagat Singh is often referred to as Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed meaning martyr. At the age of 23, he sacrificed his life for India's freedom and became an inspiration for the youth of that time, evoking a new life into the Indian national movement.

The British Parliament planned to introduce constitutional reform in 1928 to review the progress of the Indian Constitution. Headed by Sir John Simon, the committee included a group of seven British Parliamentarians with no Indian representation.

Opposing the formation of Simon Commission, protests lodged all across the country with several prominent nationalist leaders including Lala Lajpat Rai leading the silent march. A lathi charge was ordered on the crowd by Superintendent of police James A Scott in which Lala Lajpat Rai was severely injured. The Nationalist leader succumbed to the injuries and died of a heart attack on November 17, 1928.

Hindustan Socialist Republican Association(HSRA) members Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, and Chandrashekhar Azad planned to avenge Lala Rajpat Rai's death by killing James A Scott.

However, in a case of mistaken identity, they shot assistant superintendent of police John Saunders. The following year, as a protest against the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Dispute Act, Bhagat Singh along with Batukeshwar Dutt threw crude bombs inside the Central Assembly chamber on the British Parliamentarians. The duo didn't flee from the scene and remained in the assembly as they threw leaflets stating their intention to send a message across the British Empire, “It is easy to kill individuals but you cannot kill the ideas. Great empires crumbled while the ideas survived."

Both of them were arrested and later British Police arrested other members of HSRA including Rajguru and Sukhdev as well. For the Lahore Conspiracy case, Bhagat Singh was tried with Rajguru and Sukhdev along with the charges of the Assembly bomb blast.

They were sentenced to be hanged till death. Bhagat Singh had requested the British authorities that he and his associates be blown by a cannon or be shot dead instead of being hanged like criminals. He even made the request to the Punjab Governor before his execution stating that they had fought like soldiers to free their country from the British Colonial rule and should be granted the honour of dying like soldiers. His request was, however, denied and they were hanged to death on March 23 in Punjab’s Husaainwala (in present-day Pakistan).

Following their execution, the tribunal carrying out a one-sided trial during the proceedings, without the presence of the accused. Grief and sorrow spread throughout the country over the news of the execution.

Also Read: Pakistan Observes 86th Death Anniversary Of Bhagat Singh