Bhagat SinghBhagat Singh

Bhagat Singh hailed from a patriotic Sikh family deeply involved in the independence struggle, which shaped his early political outlook.

• Birth and Family: Born on September 28, 1907, in Banga village, Jaranwala tehsil, Lyallpur district, Punjab. His father, Kishan Singh, and uncles Ajit Singh and Swaran Singh were prominent freedom fighters.
• Impact of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: At the age of 12, Bhagat Singh visited the site of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919) and collected soil stained with the blood of innocent martyrs, inspiring lifelong anti-British zeal.
• National College, Lahore: Joined the National College in Lahore founded by Lala Lajpat Rai and Bhai Parmanand, where he came into contact with fellow revolutionaries like Sukhdev and Yashpal.
• Rejection of Marriage: When his family tried to arrange his marriage, he ran away from home to Cawnpore (Kanpur), stating that his marriage was 'slated to be enslaved India' and dedicating his life entirely to the nation.

Bhagat Singh infused socialist ideology into revolutionary nationalism, shifting the focus from mere individual terrorism to mass-based socialist revolution.

• Ferozshah Kotla Meeting: On September 8-9, 1928, revolutionary leaders from various provinces met at Ferozshah Kotla, Delhi, under the leadership of Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh to form the HSRA.
• Adoption of Socialism: Under Bhagat Singh's intellectual influence, the manifesto 'The Revolutionary' was revised, explicitly adopting socialism as the ultimate goal of the Indian freedom struggle.
• Assassination of Saunders (1928): On December 17, 1928, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru shot dead Assistant Superintendent of Police John Saunders in Lahore to avenge Lala Lajpat Rai's death caused by police lathicharge.
• Central Assembly Bombing (1929): On April 8, 1929, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw low-intensity smoke bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly to 'make the deaf hear' and courted arrest voluntarily.
• Slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad': While courting arrest after the assembly bombing, they shouted 'Inquilab Zindabad' (Long Live the Revolution), popularizing the phrase coined originally by Maulana Hasrat Mohani.

The historic trial in the Lahore Conspiracy Case brought the revolutionaries immense national acclaim and exposed British judicial atrocities.

• Lahore Conspiracy Case Trial: Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and dozens of other revolutionaries were tried in the Lahore Conspiracy Case, turning the courtroom into a political platform to propagate revolutionary ideals.
• Historic Hunger Strike: Revolutionaries launched a historic hunger strike in jail demanding humane treatment, better food, and political prisoner status, exposing the discriminatory treatment of Indian prisoners.
• Martyrdom of Jatin Das: Jatindranath Das attained martyrdom on September 13, 1929, after fasting for 63 days, sending shockwaves across India and uniting the country in grief and admiration.
• Death Sentence: On October 7, 1930, the Tribunal delivered its judgment sentencing Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Shivaram Rajguru to death by hanging.
• Execution on March 23, 1931: The three revolutionaries were hanged a day ahead of schedule on March 23, 1931, in Lahore Jail, inspiring nationwide mourning and eternal reverence.

Bhagat Singh's intellectual depth transcended physical acts of bravery, establishing him as a pioneering Marxist thinker in modern India.

• Transition to Marxism: Influenced by Karl Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Mikhail Bakunin, Bhagat Singh firmly believed that the overthrow of British rule must be followed by a socialist revolution abolishing economic exploitation.
• Stance on Religion and Communalism: He strongly criticized religious dogmatism and communalism, writing his seminal essay 'Why I Am an Atheist' in 1930, where he argued against divine justice and fatalism.
• Vision of Independent India: Envisioned a society free from class oppression, caste hierarchies, and imperialist domination, where the working class held state power.
• Enduring Legacy: Recognized as 'Shaheed-e-Azam' (Prince of Martyrs), his ideological clarity and supreme sacrifice continue to inspire generations of youth and political thinkers globally.