“I bow to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Ji on his Jayanti. His courage motivates us greatly. We reiterate our commitment to realise his vision for our nation,” the PM tweeted.
I bow to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Ji on his Jayanti. His courage motivates us greatly. We reiterate our commitment to realise his vision for our nation. pic.twitter.com/0mxyWEcqEo
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 28, 2022
As a tribute to the great freedom fighter, Chandigarh Airport has been renamed as Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman officially renamed the airport at Mohali. It will now be called ‘Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh’.
Born on September 28, 1907, Bhagat Singh was a charismatic revolutionary who participated in the India’s independence movement. In 1931, he was hanged for the murder of Officer JP Saunders in the city of Lahore (then in India).
BJP National President JP Nadda wrote, “Tributes to Amar Shaheed Bhagat Singh ji, who made supreme sacrifice to free Mother India from the chains of slavery, on his birth anniversary. A grateful nation will always be indebted, your sacrifice and dedication will continue to inspire the coming generations to give everything for the country and society.”
भारत माता को गुलामी की जंजीरों से मुक्त कराने के लिए सर्वोच्च बलिदान देने वाले अमर शहीद भगत सिंह जी की जयंती पर उन्हें कोटि-कोटि नमन।
— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) September 28, 2022
कृतज्ञ राष्ट्र सदैव ऋणी रहेगा, आपका त्याग व समर्पण आने वाली पीढ़ियों को देश व समाज के लिए सर्वस्व अर्पित करने की प्रेरणा देता रहेगा।
“Tributes to iconic freedom fighter Shaheed #BhagatSingh on his Jayanti. A true son of the soil whose sacrifice for Bharat will always be remembered. His act of bravery & resilience is an inspiration for generations to come,” tweeted BJP National Vice President Baijayant Panda.
Tributes to iconic freedom fighter Shaheed #BhagatSingh on his Jayanti.
— Baijayant Jay Panda (@PandaJay) September 28, 2022
A true son of the soil whose sacrifice for Bharat will always be remembered. His act of bravery & resilience is an inspiration for generations to come 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/eqGfvyKBnH
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also took to Twitter to pay tribute to the freedom fighter and wrote, “Humble tributes to revolutionary freedom fighter #BhagatSingh on his birth anniversary. The supreme sacrifice of the great revolutionary leader will never be forgotten. His valour and love for motherland will continue to inspire generations to serve the nation selflessly.”
Humble tributes to revolutionary freedom fighter #BhagatSingh on his birth anniversary. The supreme sacrifice of the great revolutionary leader will never be forgotten. His valour and love for motherland will continue to inspire generations to serve the nation selflessly. pic.twitter.com/HYoyJStKsq
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) September 28, 2022
"It has been decided that the Chandigarh airport will now be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh. It had been waiting for a long time. I congratulate the people of Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana and the entire country for this decision," he said in his half-hour address.
Touching upon various subjects, Modi also spoke about the translocation of Cheetahs from Namibia to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park earlier this month.
"People from many corners of the country expressed happiness over the return of Cheetahs. 130 crore Indians are elated and filled with pride. A task force will monitor Cheetahs, on the basis of which we will decide when you can visit the Cheetahs," Modi said.
The Prime Minister invited suggestions for naming the wild cats.
"I request people to share their views on the naming of the campaign and Cheetahs. It will be great if the naming of Cheetahs is in tune with our traditions. Also, suggest how humans should treat animals. Participate in this contest and maybe you could be the first one to witness the Cheetahs," he added.
Modi asked the people of India to break all previous records of buying khadi, handloom or handicraft products. Plastic bags are extensively used during festivals, he said.
However, the harmful waste of polythene during the festivals of cleanliness is against the spirit of the festivals, he said.
Kartar Singh Sarabha, whom Saheed-i-Azam Bhagat Singh considered his political guru, is one of the most celebrated Ghardar revolutionaries who played a significant role in revolutionary Ghadar Movement from 1912 to 1916.
His 126th birthday falls on 24 May 2022. We all know that Subash Bose had studied in Ravenshaw Collegiate School and passed out his matriculation from this school in 1913. However, what is little known is that Kartar Singh was one or two years senior to Subash and studied his 10th and 11th class in Ravenshaw Collegiate School between 1909 and 1911. He passed out his matriculation from Ravenshaw Collegiate in 1911.
Kartar Singh was born on 24 May 1896 in Sarbha village of Ludhiana district of Punjab to Sahib Kaur and father Mangal Singh. His father died when Kartar was only eight. His paternal grandfather Badan Singh brought up both Kartar and his younger sister Dhan Kaur.
Kartar Sing finished his primary education in a local school. One of his three paternal uncles, Baksheesh Singh, was an inspector of police in Bengal Province and was posted in Cuttack. At that time, Odisha and Bihar were part of Bengal Province.
Baksheesh Singh brought Kartar to Cuttack and got him admitted in Class 10 at the Collegiate School. He studied in Ravenshaw Collegiate School for two years from 1909 to his passing out of matriculation in 1911.
Not much is known about Kartar Singh’s stay in Cuttack. His paternal uncle Baksheesh Singh went on to become the Superintendent of Police of Cuttack. Kartar Singh was good in Science and developed a fascination for chemical reaction.
Beni Madhab Das, the illustrious Brahmo teacher, was the headmaster of Ravenshaw Collegiate School. A nationalist to the core, he must have inspired Subash Bose and Kartar Singh. Incidentally, his daughter Bina Das fired four shots at Mr Jackson, the Governor of Bengal during the Convocation of Calcutta University on 6 February 1932.
It is said that Kartar Singh led students in a protest against a teacher in Ravenshaw Collegiate School wherein he came in contact with Subhas Chandra Bose. A copied long roll of students of the Ravenshaw Collegiate School, now in the office of the Headmaster, does not however contain his name. Other sources, including the account of Sohan Singh Bakhna suggest that he passed out his matriculation from Ravenshaw Collegiate School.
After his matriculation, his family decided to send him to the US for further study. Kartar stepped on American soil on January 1, 1912 at Sanfrancisco port and stayed in the house of an emigrant Rulia Singh, who was from Sarabha village.
Kartar Singh stayed in the house of an American lady on rent and saw for the first time the happiness and pride with which the American celebrated their Independence Day on July 4. There was a conference of the Punjabis in Portland against the racial discriminations and it was here a future Ghadarite, Jwala Singh impressed him to take admission in Chemistry in the University of Berkley.
Kartar Singh took admission in Chemistry in the University of Berkley and soon he stayed as a boarder in the hostel of the University of Berkely. It was around December 1912 that he came in contact with firebrand intellectual Lala Hardayal, who gave a rousing speech in Berkley against colonization of India.
This made Kartar to move in the direction of taking a pledge to do or die for the country. The Indian revolutionaries in Europe, America and Japan such as Tarakanath Das, Shyamaji Krishna Verma, Madamme Bhikaji Cama, forged a connection and Lala Hardayal, Sohan Singh Bakhna, Kartar Singh Sarabha founded in April 1912 a party called Ghadar (Revolution) and started a newspaper in the same name.
Kartar managed the newspaper alone translating articles into Punjabi, cyclostyled them and circulated them. The party workers of the Ghadar gathered in Jugantar Ashram upon the outbreak of World War I and decided to return to India to start a ghadar (revolution) in India. Kartar Singh Sarabha reached the coast off Colombo on 15th September 1914 via Japan from where he reached Punjab via Madras.
By that time Komagatamaru incident had generated considerable discontent among revolutionaries. Working tirelessly in producing and circulating in Punjabi Ghadar literature, Kartar tried to organise and radicalise Punjab youths for revolution. He also tried to forge alliance with Bengali revolutionaries such Ras Behari Bose, Satyendra Bosu, Barindra Ghosh and others.
Plans for pistol and bomb manufacturing, as earlier done at Maniktala in Calcutta by Aurobindo, looting of armouries were attempted by Kartar. But these plans for armed insurrection never materialised on account of betrayal of informants.
On March 2, 1915, Kartar Singh, Harman Singh, Tundilat, and Jagit Singh were arrested from Chakk, No 5, district Lyallpur, Punjab. All Ghadarites and their sympathizers were arrested and tried in First Lahore Conspiracy Case. Kartar Singh and others were put to trial under India Defence Act 1915. The trial was held by a Special Tribunal which ordered execution of Kartar and others. Kartar Singh along with six of his compatriots went to gallows on 16 November 1915.
Bhagat Singh used to keep a photograph of his guru in his pocket till his last breath and paid glowing tribute to his guru in an article published in Chand in 1928. “ He appeared from nowhere like a whirlwind, lighted a flame and tried to rouse the spirit of freedom from slumber. He went to gallows on 16 November 1915, smilingly with his song on lips
Serving one’s country is very difficult
It is so easy to talk
Anyone who walked on that path
Must endure millions of calamities.
Sobhan Singh Bakhna, fellow Ghadarite, who was in prison, writes, “One day when I got an opportunity, I peeped into Kartar’s cell as I was strolling about.
Inside on the facing wall, big letters proclaimed in black charcoal, ‘The bloods of martyr never flows in vain’.
The blood of martyrs never goes in vain and free India celebrates these countless martyrs celebrating freedom on the ‘AzadikI amrat Mahostav’. Incidentally, the Department of History of Ravenshaw University is organising a one day seminar on Kartar Singh Sarabha on his 126 birth anniversary on 23 May 2022.
By Dr Umakant Mishra
Department of History, Ravenshaw University
Addressing the people outside his house in Sangrur, Mann thanked all the Punjabis, and said: "You have fulfilled your responsibility very well, now it is my turn to fulfil the responsibility."
"We have good intentions and that is why the people of Punjab have trusted us. Trust me, change will be visible in a month. Now you will not have to go to offices of government employees. Government officers won't hinder your works by making excuses. Now the public servants will come to your houses and localities to do their job."
Taking a jibe at the opposition parties, Mann said they abused "us, tried to defame us. But we have forgiven everyone, provided they start respecting the three and a half crore Punjabis now".
Mann, who won the Dhuri seat with a margin of 58,206 votes, said during the Congress-Akali Dal governments, decisions regarding Punjab used to be taken in Moti Mahal, Siswan farm house and big 'havelis'.
"Now the government of Punjab will run from villages and mohallas."
Mann said those who did not vote for "us need not have any kind of doubt or fear. I am their chief minister too. I have the same love and empathy towards everyone. We will work make Punjab prosperous again".
Mann said he was worried about unemployment. "Unemployed youth are forced to go abroad or struck in the quagmire of drugs. Punjab keeps losing money and talent due to expensive higher education and lack of employment. After assuming the responsibility of Chief Minister, on the very first day itself, I will use my position to eradicate unemployment from Punjab.
"We are committed to provide adequate opportunities and employment in Punjab."
Mann reiterated that the pictures of the Chief Minister and leaders will not be in the government offices of Punjab. Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar's pictures will be displayed in government offices.
"Bhagat Singh fought for our freedom and sacrificed his life and after independence Baba Saheb gave us the right to freedom and equality by writing the constitution of the country. It is our duty to follow their values and fulfil their dreams."
Mann concluded that he is proud of Punjabis who are keeping alive the revolution of Bhagat Singh.
"As a Punjabi, it is our duty to follow the path of Bhagat Singh and give him respect. Earlier chief ministers of Punjab used to take oath at the Raj Bhavan. I will take oath as Chief Minister at the village of Bhagat Singh, Khatkar Kalan," he said.
Mann's mother Harpal Kaur got emotional.
Before Mann, his younger sister Manpreet Kaur and his mother Harpal Kaur addressed the gathering and thanked the people for electing Mann as the Chief Minister.
Addressing the people, Mann's mother Harpal Kaur hugged Mann and got emotional.
Rising from the ashes like the phoenix, the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, in a maiden emphatic win, crushed the traditional players that ruled the border state of Punjab for over seven decades with its stunning victory largely by its greenhorns on 92 of the 117 seats of the legislative assembly.
The response came after the issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha by Indian National Lok Dal member Ram Kumar Kashyap during Zero Hour. Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu also expressed concern, asking the government to look into the matter.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "Bhagat Singh was held in highest esteem by the country and the government is dedicated to give all the respect to his supreme sacrifice. I will ascertain the details and get back to the House."
Kashyap said that he was distressed to learn that even Pakistan had conferred the title of Shaheed-E-Azam on Bhagat Singh whereas India had not, and called it "ridiculous".
"It is very disappointing that Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru and Chandra Shekhar Azad have not been given the status of martyrs. Questions would be raised why this status was not given to them," he said.
Intervening in the matter, Naidu said: "The Law Minister is here. He should discuss the matter with the Culture Ministry."
The Lahore police last week submitted in a Pakistan trial court the first information report (FIR) registered in the murder of British police official John Saunders (also known as the Lahore conspiracy case) claiming that the case was registered against "unidentified" persons.
The court handed over a copy of the FIR to Lahore-based advocate and petitioner Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi. Qureshi, who is the chairman of the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation, had filed a petition in the court seeking an attested copy of the FIR registered in the case.
Qureshi has also moved the Lahore High Court seeking reopening of the Saunders' murder case to prove that Bhagat Singh was "innocent".
He said it was on the court's order that the Lahore police searched through the records of the Anarkali Police Station and managed to find the FIR in the Saunders' murder case.
"Written in Urdu, the FIR was registered at 4.30 p.m. on December 17, 1928, against two unknown gunmen. The names of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru are nowhere in the FIR," said Qureshi.
According to Qureshi, an official of the Anarkali Police Station was the complainant. In the FIR, the complainant-cum-eyewitness said the man he followed was "5 ft 5 inch, had a Hindu face, a small moustache, a slim and strong body, and was wearing a white trouser (pyjama), grey shirt (kurta) and a small black Christi-like hat".
Qureshi said special judges of the Tribunal handling Bhagat Singh's case awarded him the death sentence without hearing the 450 witnesses in the case. "The martyr's lawyers were not even given the opportunity to cross-question them. Therefore, I want to establish Bhagat Singh's innocence in the Saunders case," he added.
According to media reports in Pakistan, Qureshi is hopeful that if the court in Pakistan sets aside the verdict against Bhagat Singh, the British government could be pressured to tender an apology for the "sham trial".
Qureshi's Foundation earlier filed a petition in the Lahore High Court to rename Lahore's Shadman Chowk -- the spot which was once a part of Lahore Jail where the trio were hanged by the British -- as 'Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk'. The court in September last year directed the Lahore district administration to decide on the renaming of the roundabout.
In a tweet in Hindi, Naidu paid tributes to Bhagat Singh's courage and sacrifice for the country's freedom. "The protection of unity and integrity of the nation will be the true homage to him."
Modi said Bhagat Singh's name is synonymous with valour and sacrifice.
"His courageous actions continue to motivate millions. He remains among the most popular icons in the minds of the youth. I bow to this great son of Mother India on his Jayanti," Modi said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also tweeted in Hindi saying Bhagat Singh inspired the whole nation to fight for freedom. "With his courage, ideals and nationalism, Singh has been an inspiration for all."
The official Twitter handle of the Congress party said the responsibility of building a nation of Bhagat Singh's dreams is on the youth, "which they need to fulfil".
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted saying Bhagat Singh's life has been an inspiration.
Bhagat Singh was born on this day in 1907 in the Punjab Province of British India. He was convicted for killing British police officer John Saunders and was hanged in March 1931.
In a tweet, Tewari said he had written a letter to Prime Minister formally requesting him to accord the Bharat Ratna to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev and dedicate Chandigarh Airport to the memory of Bhagat Singh. He also demanded conferring the three martyrs with the honorific of Shaheed-e-Azam.
In his letter, Tiwari said Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev have inspired an entire generation of patriots with their unrelenting resistance to British imperialism and later with their supreme sacrifice on March 23, 1931.
"It would be in the fitness of things that if on January 26, 2020, all three of them are honoured with the Bharat Ratna," read the letter.
He said the gesture would touch the hearts and soul of 124 crore Indians.
"On Shaheed Diwas, I bow down to the great sons of mother India, Independence revolutionaries Amar Shaheed Veer Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. The sacrifice of these great sons of Maa Bharati will remain an inspiration for every generation of the country. Jai Hind!," the Prime Minister wrote on Twitter in Hindi along with a video.
आजादी के क्रांतिदूत अमर शहीद वीर भगत सिंह, सुखदेव और राजगुरु को शहीदी दिवस पर शत-शत नमन। मां भारती के इन महान सपूतों का बलिदान देश की हर पीढ़ी के लिए प्रेरणास्रोत बना रहेगा। जय हिंद! #ShaheedDiwas pic.twitter.com/qs3SqAHkO9
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 23, 2021
CM Naveen Patnaik also paid tribute to the great revolutionaries on their martyrdom.
"On #ShaheedDiwas, my homage to great revolutionaries, #BhagatSingh, #Sukhdev & #Rajguru who laid down their lives for the freedom of our country. Their selfless sacrifices for our motherland continue to inspire us," tweeted Patnaik.
On #ShaheedDiwas, my homage to great revolutionaries, #BhagatSingh, #Sukhdev & #Rajguru who laid down their lives for the freedom of our country. Their selfless sacrifices for our motherland continue to inspire us. pic.twitter.com/MoCF3iCSM7
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) March 23, 2021
Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Dharmendra Pradhan and other prominent leaders also paid their tributes to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru for their selfless sacrifice for the country.
सरदार भगत सिंह, सुखदेव और राजगुरु के बलिदान दिवस पर मैं उन्हें नमन करता हूँ। भारत माता को दासता की बेड़ियों से आज़ाद कराने में जिन क्रांतिकारियों का योगदान रहा है, उनमें इन तीनों का स्थान अग्रणी है। भारतीय स्वतंत्रता संग्राम में उनका साहस, त्याग और बलिदान सदैव याद किया जायेगा।
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) March 23, 2021
स्वतंत्रता के इतिहास में शहीद भगत सिंह, सुखदेव और राजगुरु की वीरता व योगदान को शब्दों में वर्णित करना सम्भव नहीं है। देश को गुलामी की बेड़ियों से मुक्त करने की उनकी तड़प और बलिदान को याद कर आज भी हर भारतवासी की आँखें नम हो जाती हैं।
ऐसे वीर बलिदानियों के चरणों में कोटिशः नमन। pic.twitter.com/3tFd2qIqHF
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 23, 2021
मातृभूमि के लिए अपना सर्वस्व अर्पण करने वाले वीरता और देशप्रेम के प्रतीक, अमर शहीद, भगत सिंह, राजगुरु और सुखदेव के बलिदान दिवस पर उन्हें कोटि-कोटि नमन। इतिहास के पन्नो में सदा के लिए अमर हो चुके मां भारती के इन सपूतों के बलिदान का राष्ट्र सदैव कृतज्ञ रहेगा। #ShaheedDiwas pic.twitter.com/dhjT6bfzgS
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) March 23, 2021
लिख रहा हूँ मैं अंजाम, जिसका कल आगाज आयेगा,
मेरे लहू का हर एक कतरा इंकलाब लायेगा।अपने लहू का कतरा-कतरा राष्ट्र के लिए होम कर देने वाले शहीद-ए-आजम भगत सिंह, सुखदेव जी, राजगुरु जी के शहीद दिवस पर कोटिश: नमन!
धरा को धन्य करने वाले सपूतों पर देश की भावी पीढ़ियां सदैव गर्व करेंगी। pic.twitter.com/BEsRPIGlpU
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) March 23, 2021
Pay my solemn tribute to the supreme sacrifice of our heroes Shaheed-E-Azam #BhagatSingh, #Sukhdev & #Rajguru ji on their #ShaheedDiwas. Their unparalleled courage, when they gladly embraced death in the cause of India’s freedom, will continue to inspire generations. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/qF7k1xQ9Jf
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) March 23, 2021
बलिदान-
बॉर्डर पर जवान का,
दिल्ली सीमा पर किसान का,
केंद्र सरकार जवाब दो,
उनकी शहादत के अपमान का!#ShaheedDiwas— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 23, 2021
Every year, March 23 is observed as Shaheed Diwas to pay tribute to Indian Revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar, who were hanged by the British Government in 1931. The trio were found guilty of the murder of deputy police superintendent J.P. Saunders in 1928, to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)