It has been rightly said: “For every O’Dwyer there is a Shaheed Udham Singh.”
Udham Singh, a Freedom Fighter from the Gadar Party was hanged to death on July 31, 1940, after being convicted of murder. Shaheed Udham Singh killed Michael O’Dwyer, former deputy governor of the Indian state of Punjab, in London to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar.
In October 1995, Udham Singh Nagar, a district in Uttarakhand, was named after him by then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.
Through this article, let us delve into the life of Shaheed Udham Singh, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the assassination of O’Dwyer and his ashes at Jallianwala Bagh.
Udham Singh: Birth and Early Life
Udham Singh was born on 26 December 1899 in Sunam, Sangrur district of Punjab, India to Sardar Tehal Singh Jammu and Mata Narain Kaur. His father was a farmer and also worked as a railway guard in Upali village.
After the death of his father, Udham Singh and his brother Mukta Singh were raised by the Central Khalsa Putlighar Orphanage in Amritsar. In 1918, Udham Singh passed his matriculation exam and left the orphanage in 1919.
Udham Singh: Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
On April 10, 1919, leaders of the Indian National Congress were arrested under the Rowlatt Act. This led to a widespread protest at Jallianwala Bagh on 13 April 1919. More than 20,000 unarmed people participated in the protest. At that time, Udham Singh and his friends at the orphanage were serving water to the protesters. General O’Dwyer with his troops entered Jallianwala Bagh, blocked the main entrance, took up a position on a high bank and, without warning, opened fire on the crowd for about 10 minutes until ammunition supplies were near. like exhausted.
After this incident, Udham Singh became involved in revolutionary politics and came under the influence of Freedom Fighter Bhagat Singh. In 1924, Udham Singh joined the Ghadar Party to overthrow British rule in India and organize Indians abroad to do the same. In 1927, after receiving orders from Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh went to India, bringing with him 25 associates and ammunition. However, he was soon arrested by 25 associates. At the time of his arrest, evolutionists, ammunition and copies of a banned Ghadar Party newspaper called “Ghadr-i-Gunj” were confiscated, sending him to prison for five years.
Udham Singh: The Assassination of O’Dwyer
In 1931, Udham Singh was released from prison, but his movements were monitored by the Punjab Police. However, he evaded the Punjab Police and reached Germany via Kashmir. In 1935, he went to London and worked as an engineer. He planned to kill O’Dwyer, who was responsible for killing hundreds of peaceful protesters at Jalianwala Bagh.
On 13 March 1940, Michael O’Dwyer was scheduled to address a joint meeting of the East India Association and the Central Asia Association (now the Royal Society for Asiatic Affairs) in Caxton Hall, London. Udham Singh hid a revolver in his Coat pocket and entered the meeting area. After the meeting ended, Udham Singh began moving towards the stage and shot O’Dwyer twice, killing him instantly. Besides O’Dwyer, the others injured in the event were– Louis Dane, Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland, and Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington. Udham Singh was immediately arrested by the authorities arrested for O’Dwyer’s murder.
Udham Singh: Trial and execution
Nearly twenty days after the assassination of Michael O’Dwyer, on 1 April 1940, Udham Singh faced formal charges and was detained at Brixton Prison.
According to Udham Singh, after assassinating O’Dwyer, ‘I did it because I had a grudge against him. He deserves it. I don’t belong to society or anything else. I don’t care. I don’t mind dying. What’s the use of waiting until old age? Is Zetland dead? He should have been. I bet two on him? I bought a revolver from a soldier in a public house. My parents died when I was three or four years old. Only one person died? I think I can earn more than that.”
While detained at Brixton, Udham Singh called himself ‘Ram Mohammad Singh Azad’, with the first three words representing the three major religions of Punjab (Hindu, Islam and Sikh) and the last expressing the sentiment his anti-colonialism. The word Azad means ‘Free’.
In prison, awaiting trial, Singh went on a hunger strike on the 42nd day after he was force-fed by prison authorities. On 4 June 1940, Singh’s trial began at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, before Judge Atkinson, with VK Krishna Menon and St John Hutchinson representing him. GB McClure is the prosecuting attorney. He was asked about the motive behind O’Dwyer’s assassination, to which he replied: ‘I did it because I had a grudge against him. He deserves it. He is the real culprit. He wanted to crush the spirit of our people, so we crushed him. For the past 21 years, I’ve been trying to get revenge. I’m happy because I got the job done. I’m not afraid of death. I am dying for my country. I saw my people starve to death in India under British rule. I protested this, it was my duty. What honor is greater than dying for one’s country?’
He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. On July 31, 1940, he was hanged at Pentonville prison. On this day every year, i.e. July 31, Singh is paid homage by various organizations.
Udham Singh: Ruins at Jallianwala Bagh
At the request of the then MLA Sadhu Singh Thind, Singh’s remains were exhumed and repatriated to India in 1974. The coffin was buried by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the then President Shankar Dayal Sharma and the 7th President of India, received. Zail Singh.
Shaheed-i-Azam Udham Singh was cremated at Sunam, Punjab, while his ashes were scattered in the Sutlej river. Some of his ashes were kept and stored in a sealed urn at Jallianwala Bagh.
Udham Singh: Heritage
1- A charity dedicated to Udham Singh and operating on Soho Road, Birmingham.
2- A museum is also dedicated to him located near Jallianwala Bagh, in Amritsar.
3- Singh’s weapons, the knife, the diary and a bullet from the shooting are kept in his honor at Scotland Yard’s Black Museum.
4- Several films have featured him– Jallian Wala Bagh (1977), Shaheed Uddham Singh (1977), and Shaheed Uddham Singh (2000).
5- Udham Singh Nagar district in Uttarakhand was named after Udham Singh, by order of the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
6- Singh was the subject of the 1998 song “Assassin” by Asian Dub Foundation.
7- A chowk has been named after him in Anupgarh, Rajasthan– Shaheed Udham Singh Chowk.
8- The day of his execution was a public holiday in Punjab and Haryana.
9- Singh was the subject of the 2015 music video and song “Frank Brazil” by The Ska Vengers.
10- On 13 March 2018, a 10 ft tall statue of Udham Singh was installed by International Sarv Kamboj Samaj at the main entrance of Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar. The statue was inaugurated by the then Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: pagasa.edu.vn