Bhubaneswar: Shaheed Diwas is observed on March 23 to commemorate the fateful day when three freedom fighters – Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar – were hanged by the British Government.
Every year, this day is observed to pay homage to these freedom fighters who laid their lives for independent, sovereign and liberal India. These revolutionary leaders were hanged at the Lahore Central Jail in Lahore on March 23, 1931.
Significance
Martyrs Day also called Sarvodaya Day is observed twice a year. Once on January 30 to pay tribute to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi who was assassinated by Nathuram Godse and then on March 23 to pay homage to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. This day on March 23 is observed to celebrate the sacrifices of the freedom fighters. It reminds us of the martyrs who fought for the nation and helped us get the freedom that we enjoy today. Shaheed Diwas is a constant reminder that we should never take our freedom for granted, and should never forget the freedom fighters who, through their heroic acts, made the nation free from the clutches of brutal colonial rule.
History
In 1907, Bhagat Singh was born in Banga village of Faisalabad district which is now in Pakistan’s Punjab province. His two acts of violence against the Britishers and subsequent executive at the age of 23 made him a folk hero of the Indian independence movement.
Singh quit formal education at the age of thirteen to actively involve in India’s freedom movement. He left home for Kanpur after his parents tried to get him married.
Sukhdev was born on May 15 1907 in Ludhiana. He came in contact with Singh in 1921 when he was a student of National College. He joined the underground revolutionary organization named Hindustan Republican Association which included Singh, Rajguru, and Chandrashekhar Azad. The association declared itself socialist in 1928.
In December 1928, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru plotted the assassination of the superintendent of police James Scott in Lahore to avenge the death of the nationalist leader Lala Lajpat Rai. In a case of mistaken identity, Assistant Superintendent of Police John Saunders was shot dead. Singh escaped to Calcutta to escape arrest after shaving his beard and cutting his hair.
In April 1929, Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt hurled bombs in the Central Assembly Hall in Delhi, and raised the slogan of “Inquilab Zindabad!”. They were later arrested. Singh and his revolutionary comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged to death on March 23, 1931, in the Lahore Conspiracy case.
These revolutionaries embraced martyrdom for the sake of their country and infused the spirit of sacrifice among youths.
