Martyrs of India

The history of India’s freedom struggle is replete with acts of courage and sacrifice. Heroes emerged from every nook and corner of the country, united with intense patriotism and a keen desire to see the country free permeated their existence. Many of them even laid down their lives and immortalised their names in the memoirs of the country’s freedom fight.

It is difficult to enumerate the names of all these patriots as a number of them would always remain anonymous and their names will never find mention in the pages of history. In the three volumes of 'Who's Who of Indian Martyrs' brought out by the Ministry of Education, list of 10,000 names of persons who were hanged or killed from 1857 to the emancipation of our country in 1947 are listed. Included in these volumes are also those patriots who struggled for liberation in the princely states of Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir and the Portuguese territories of Goa, Daman and Diu. We reproduce the life-sketches of some of the important martyrs from these volumes

Alluri Sitarama Raju

Born on July 4, 1897, at Mogallu Distt., West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, Alluri Sitarama Raju was the son of Venkatarama Raju. Atrocities committed by the British police and officials led him to organise an armed rebellion against the British, known as the Rampa rebellion. The tribal patriots, led by him, launched several successful attacks against the British police. An expert strategist and able guerrilla leader, he posed a serious challenge to British authority. A reward of Rs 10,000 was announced for his arrest.

Ashfaqullah Khan

Born on October 1900 at Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. In his student days he took active part in nationalist activities against the British rule. He later became a member of the revolutionary organisation called ‘Matrivedi Sanstha’. He came to limelight after participating in the Kakori Mail Dacoity on August 9, 1925, and in raids by the revolutionaries at Sherganj, Bichpuri, Mainpuri, etc. He was later arrested and sentenced to death. He died on the gallows in the Faizabad Jail on April 3, 1927.

Udham Singh

Resident of Amritsar, Punjab; He was brought up in an orphanage in Amritsar after the death of his parents and received early education at Amritsar. His tender mind was deeply shocked by the horrible scenes of cruelty and carnage at the Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, on April 13, 1919, where hundreds of people were brutally killed and wounded by British troops in firing with machine-guns ordered by General Dyer. That was the time when he took a vow to avenge the injustice and the brutal behaviour of the British towards his countrymen. He travelled to England and joined an engineering course in London. After obtaining a 6-chamber revolver and ammunition, he shot and killed Sir Michael O'Dyer (who was Governor of Punjab when the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy took place) at a meeting of the Royal Central Asian Society and the East India Association in the Caxton Hall, London, on March 13, 1940. Ultimately, he was arrested and tried for murder and was sentenced to death.

Chandrashekar Azad

Born on July 23, 1906, at Bhaora, Distt. Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh. Student of the Banaras Sanskrit College and later of the Kashi Vidyapeeth. He was arrested at the age of 14 years and punished with fifteen cane strokes for taking part in the Non-cooperation Movement (1921). In his court statement, he described his name as ‘Azad’ his father as ‘Swadhin’ and his address as ‘the jail’. After release, he was hailed as a young national hero. He joined the Indian Revolutionary Party in 1922, became a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army. He took part in several political dacoities including the ‘Kakori Mail Dacoity’. British police declared him as an absconder and prize money of Rs 30,000 was announced for his capture. He was later appointed as the commander of the military division of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association.

To avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, he along with Sardar Bhagat Singh and Rajguru organised the shooting of British Police Superintendent, J A Scott, at Lahore. Scott escaped but the Asst. Superintendent of Police, J P Saunders, was killed. He later planned the bomb explosion in the Central Legislative Assembly on April 8, 1929 and successfully evaded arrest for about two years. Being betrayed by a companion and surrounded by the police in Alfred Park in Allahabad on February 27, 193, his legendary fight with the big police party with revolvers in both hands, is still narrated as one of the most heroic clashes of that period where he killed several policemen and wounded the British Police Superintendent, Nott Bower and the Indian police officer, Bisheshwar Singh. With one bullet in his gun and a massive police party to fight against, he shot himself and died in a gallant manner.

Shivaram Rajguru

Member of the Revolutionary Party, he took a leading part in revolutionary activities against British rule. He was a close associate of the revolutionary leader, Bhagat Singh and was part of the group involved in the shooting of J P Saunders, Assistant Superintendent of Police, at Lahore on December 17, 1928. He was arrested on September 30, 1929, in a motor garage in Poona and was tried as one of the principal accused in the Lahore Conspiracy Case of 1930. Sentenced to death, he died on the gallows in the Lahore Central Jail on March 23, 1931, along with Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev.

Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy

Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy is credited to be one of the first freedom fighters in India. He led one of the first revolts in India against the British occupation, 10 years earlier than the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857. Narasimha Reddy, as a polygar of Koilkuntla was in command of 66 villages in Kadapa, Anantapur, Bellary and Kurnool districts and controlled an army of 2000. After Rayalaseema was ceded to the British by the Nizam, Narasimha Reddy refused to share the revenue of the region with the British. He was in favor of an armed uprising.

On 10 June 1846, he attacked the treasury at Koilkuntla and marched towards Cumbum (Prakasam District). On the way, he created uproar at Rudravaram by killing the forest ranger. The district collector, Thomas Monroe, took a serious view of the rebellion and ordered his capture. Early attempts to capture him under Captain Knot and Watson were unsuccessful. The British government then announced Rs 5000 for the information and Rs 10000 for his head. He was caught at midnight on October 6, 1846 and was finally hanged by the British on February 22 in Koilkuntla on the banks of a nearby river.

Bhagat Singh

Student of the National College, Lahore Bhagat Singh joined the revolutionary movement in 1924 at the age of sixteen. He refused to get married and dedicated his life to the liberation of India and founded the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army, along with other revolutionary leaders. He organised revolutionary activities in Punjab, Delhi and UP and planned agitation against the Simon Commission and its recommendations. Attempted to rescue his revolutionary comrades. Jogesh Chatterji and S N Sanyal, from the Kanpur jail, where they were detained in connection with the Kakori Mail Dacoity Case. Drew up the plan to shoot JA Scott, Senior Suprintendent of Police at Lahore, who had ordered the assault on Lala Lajpat Rai during the demonstration against the Simon Commis-sion at Lahore in November 1928.

Shot and killed J P Saunders, Assistant Superintendent of Police, on December 17, 1928. Exploded a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly at Delhi on April 8, 1929, and scattered leaflets. Arrested and sentenced to transportation for life. A special tribunal later enhanced the sentence to one of death by hanging. His two comrades, Sukhdev and Shivram Rajguru, died at the gallows with echoing ‘Jai Hind’ on their lips. He died fearlessly on the gallows in the Lahore Central Jail on March 23, 1931. Sukhdev and Shivram Rajguru were also executed along with him.