On December 19, 1927, three young men, Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaq Ullah and Roshan Singh, who dreamed of the country’s independence, were hanged laughing. His fourth companion Rajendra Nath Lahiri was hanged by the barbaric British government two days earlier on 17th December in Gonda jail. These immortal martyrs were a part of the famous Kakori action of 9 August 1925, who directly challenged the British rule by looting the government treasury that evening from a train near Kakori station. On the martyrdom day of the immortal martyrs, read the thrilling life story of the freedom fighters.
Gandhi had withdrawn the non-cooperation movement in protest against the violent incident of Chauri-Chara. This decision of Gandhi was shocking to millions of people who had left their jobs, business and education and thrown themselves into the freedom movement. The youth were especially excited. He had accepted that it would not be possible to achieve independence through non-violent means.
Revolutionaries had come forward amid the dejected atmosphere.
Hindustan Republican Association, an organization of revolutionaries, decided to carry out some major action. Under that, a plan was made to loot the government treasury.The purpose was twofold. On one hand it was to raise money for weapons and on the other hand it was to challenge the British power that their slavery was no longer acceptable. On the evening of 9 August 1925, the revolutionary boarded a passenger train from Lucknow to Saharanpur. As per the plan, they got down at Kakori station. From there boarded eight down passengers. By then it was getting dark. The train was stopped at a deserted place by pulling a chain.
The revolutionaries told the passengers that they would only loot the government treasury. No passenger should try to get off the vehicle. With difficulty the safe was broken and then the money was collected. The revolutionaries returned on foot. After reaching Lucknow, the revolutionaries took the looted money and weapons to a safe place.
British government intent on teaching a lesson
The British rule considered this a direct challenge to the government. Ten revolutionaries were involved in this action, but the police targeted forty youth. The police made 21 accused. The case was decided on 6 April 1927. Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaq Ullah, Rajendra Lahiri and Roshan Singh were sentenced to death. Black water to Sachindranath Sanyal. Manmathanath Gupta and Sachindra Nath Bakshi were sentenced to 14 years of life imprisonment. Jogesh Chatterjee, Mukundilal, Govind Charan Kar, Raj Kumar Sinha and Ram Krishna Khatri were given ten years each, Vishnu Sharan Dublis, Surendra Bhattacharya seven years each, Bhupendranath Sanyal, Ram Dulare Trivedi were given five years rigorous imprisonment each.
Despite becoming a confessional witness, Banwari Lal was sentenced to five years. The government went in appeal against the sentence of seven people. These were Shri Jogesh Chatterjee, Govind Charan Kar, Mukundilal, Suresh Chandra Bhattacharya, Vishnusharan Dublis and Manmathanath Gupta. Manmathanath’s sentence was not increased on the basis of young age. The sentence of those who were sentenced to the remaining ten years was increased to Kala Pani. Those who were sentenced to seven years, their sentence was increased to ten years.
The desire to disappear is only in the heart Bismil
The atmosphere in the country was very excited during the trial and after the announcement of the sentence. Veteran lawyers had argued the case of the revolutionaries but the verdict was already decided. The last efforts to save four revolutionaries from hanging also failed. But even after death was near, these revolutionaries were fearless. Just a day before his hanging, on the evening of 18th December, Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil refused to take milk from the jail staff. Said, I do not want liberation, I want rebirth in this land of India. Only then will I drink mother’s milk. So that I can again be useful for the freedom of the country.
In those days, he had written to a friend, “I am ready for whatever is going to happen the next day. What is this? Just a change of body. I am sure that my soul will soon return to work with new enthusiasm for the motherland and its progeny.” Bismil was born on 11 June 1897 in Shahjahanpur. He kissed the noose on 19 December 1927 in Gorakhpur jail. His last words are still remembered-
May the Lord be yours and may you remain you.
Neither I nor my wishes remain.
As long as there is life in the body and blood in the veins.
There should be only mention of you or be busy with you only.
Now there are no next waves and no crowd of desires.
The desire to disappear is only in Bismil’s heart.
When Ashfaq Ullah said fight unitedly
On December 16, three days before the hanging, Ashfaq Ullah had written, “We have played our role on the stage of Bharatmata. Whatever we did was wrong or right, we did it to achieve freedom. Criticize us or praise us, but even our enemies had to praise our bravery. People say that we wanted to spread terrorism in the country, this is wrong. We wanted to bring revolution in the country to bring freedom. Judges.” They have remembered us with adjectives like ruthless, barbaric, human stigma etc. General Dyer of this community had opened fire on unarmed people and men and women. With which adjectives did these contractors of justice address their brothers?
Then why this behavior with us? Indian brothers! No matter which religion or sect you follow, support the country’s work. Do not fight among yourselves unnecessarily. The paths may be different but the destination is the same for all. Then why the fights? Fight unitedly and liberate your country. In the end my salute to everyone. India should be free. May my brother be happy.
Before being hanged in Faizabad jail, Ashfaq Ullah had written-
We too are fed up with their atrocities.
Sue Adam Jindane left Faizabad..
May the country always be happy and free.
What is ours, whether we stay, whether we stay or not.
Ashfaq Ullah, moving towards the noose, said, “My hands are not stained with human blood. The accusation made against me is wrong. There will be justice for me in the hands of God.” Smiling, he kissed the noose… and his last wish was only this,
I don’t have any wishes, I just wish for this.
Keep some ashes in the shroud of this country.
Roshan Singh said, don’t be angry with me at all.
Amar Shaheed Roshan Singh had also gone to jail during the farmers movement. The case against him in the Kakori action was the weakest. But in the name of hypocrisy of justice the British were bent on repression. But Roshan Singh had no fear of death at all. Just six days before his martyrdom, he wrote to a friend from Allahabad jail, “Don’t feel sorry for me at all. My death will be a matter of happiness. It is necessary to die after being born in this world. Do not disgrace yourself by doing misdeeds in the world and remember God while dying. Our scriptures tell us that those who die in the crusade have the same fate as those who do penance in the forest.” Fearless Roshan Singh’s last message to the lovers of freedom was,
Know the vivacity of life O Roshan.
Otherwise how many people die and are born again.
Rajendra Nath Lahiri said, the country needs our blood
Rajendra Nath Lahiri had learned the lessons of dying for the country in the womb of mother Basant Kumari. At the time of his birth on 29 June 1901 in District Pabna (now Bangladesh), his father Kshitimohan Lahiri was behind bars along with his elder son for his participation in revolutionary activities. The contact with the great revolutionary Sachindranath Sanyal connected Rajendra Nath Lahiri with the revolutionary movement. At the time of his arrest in the Kakori incident, he was a M.A. student at Kashi Hindu University. He was also sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in the bomb factory case in Dakshineswar (Kolkata).
On December 14, three days before his hanging, he wrote to his brother, “You guys did a lot to save our lives. But the country’s altar needs our blood. What is death, other than another direction of life. What kind of sorrow and fear is there for it! This is a very natural state. As much as the rising of the sun in the morning. History will take its turn. Our sacrifice will not go in vain.” He was hanged in Gonda jail on 17 December 1927, two days before his other comrades. The smile on his face while kissing the noose was an open challenge to the British.
Also read: Neither Shia, nor Sunni, what is Ibadi Islam, whose stronghold is Oman? Where PM Modi visited