Author Topic: British Court - Shaheed Udham Singh Speech (Read 2580 times)

TheStig · « **on:** November 26, 2008, 12:44:22 AM »

After completion of Udham Singh's evidence, Mr. McLure addressed the
jury on behalf of prosecution and then St. John Hutchinson spoke on
behalf of Udham Singh. After this the judge, Mr. Atkinson summed up the
case. He argued that it was not necessary to prove the intent of murder,
but the damage done was intentional. It was not accidental or even
partly accidental. Udham Singh went fully armed to the meeting, and with
a grievance which he was frank enough to admit. He hated British rule in
India. He went to the meeting to protest by firing his revolver. The
Judge mentioned the Amritsar massacre (Jallianwala bagh massacre of
April 1919) and also stressed that Zetland was another target because he
was connected with Indian political affairs.

The jury found Udham Singh guilty of murder. The clerk of the court
addressed Udham Singh 'that he stood convicted of murder' and 'if he had
anything to say as to why the court should not give you the death
penalty according to the law?'

Udham Singh said that he had a statement to make. He put on a pair of
glasses, whispered to the warders, and produced a sheet of paper and
began to read. Facing the Judge, he said:

"I say down with British Imperialism. You say India does not have peace.
We have only slavery. Generations of so called civilization has brought
for us everything filthy and degrading known to the human race. All you
have to do is read your own history. If you have any human decency about
you, you should die with shame. The brutality and blood thirsty way in
which the so called intellectuals, who call themselves the rulers of
civilization in the world are of bastard blood..."

Atkinson: "I am not going to listen to a political speech."

U Singh: "You asked me if I had anything to say."

Atkinson: "If you have anything to relevant to this case, say it."

U Singh: "I say this - this is my case. I was going to protest and this
is what I am protesting."(He brandished the sheet of papers at the
judge)

Atkinson: "Is it written in English?"

U Singh: "Yes."

Atkinson: "I shall understand it much better if you will hand it to me
to read."

U Singh: "No, I want it for myself, not for you."

Atkinson: "I can not make out what you are saying."

U Singh: "You will understand what I am reading now. Do you want me to
read it or not?"

Atkinson: "I shall understand much more of it if you give it to me to
read."

U Singh: "Who will read it?"

Atkinson: "I will read it."

U Singh: "I want the jury and the whole lot to read it."(McLure reminded
the judge that under section six of the Emergency Powers Act, Udham
Singh's speech could not be reported or heard in the camera.)

Atkinson: "You may take it that nothing will be published of what you
say."

U Singh: "Eh?"

Atkinson: "You must stick to the point, but go on."

U Singh: "I did it to protest and this is what I mean. I want to
explain. The jury was misled about the address. I shall read it now.
Shall I read it now?"

Atkinson: "Yes."

U Singh: "I shall like to read the lot, you know."

Atkinson: "You are only entitled to say why the death sentence should
not be passed upon you. You are not to entitle to make a political
speech."

U Singh: (Shouting):"I DO NOT CARE ABOUT SENTENCE OF DEATH. IT MEANS
NOTHING AT ALL. I DO NOT CARE ABOUT DYING OR ANYTHING." (Thumping the
rail of the dock, he exclaimed): "WE ARE SUFFERING FROM THE British
EMPIRE. (He continued more quietly): "I am not afraid to die. I am proud
to die. I want to help my native land, and I hope when I have gone, that
in my place will come others of my countrymen to drive the dirty dogs. I
am standing before an English jury in an English court. You people go to
India and when you come back you are given prizes and put into the House
of Commons, but when we come to England we are put to death. In my case
I do not care about it, but when you dirty dogs come to India - the
intellectuals they call themselves, the rulers - they are of bastard
blood caste, and they order machine guns to fire on Indian students
without hesitation... Machine guns on the streets of India now down
thousands of poor women and children wherever your so-called flag of
democracy and Christianity flies. I have nothing against the public at
all. I have more English friends in England than I do in India. I have
nothing against the public. I have great sympathy with the workers of
England, but I am against the dirty British Government. You people are
suffering the same as I am suffering through those dirty dogs and mad
beasts. India is only slavery. Killing, mutilating and destroying. We
know what is going on in India, people do not read about it in the
press. Hundreds of thousands of people being killed by your dirty
dogs..."

Atkinson: "I am not going to any more, you can put this paper away. I am
going to pass sentence upon you."

U Singh: "You do not want to listen any more because you are tired of my
speech, eh? I have a lot to say yet."

Atkinson: "I am not going to hear any more of that."

U Singh: "You asked me if I had anything to say."

Atkinson: "I am not going to hear..."

U Singh: "You people are dirty. You don't want to hear from us about
what you are doing in India. Beasts, Beasts, Beasts..." The judge made
the proclamation of the sentence of death on Udham Singh. When the
sentence was passed, thrusting his glasses back into his pocket, Udham
Singh thumped his clenched fist on the rail of the dock and shouted
three words in Hindustani: "INQLAB, INQLAB, INQLAB" and then: "DOWN WITH
British IMPERIALISM. DOWN WITH British DIRTY DOGS! AND LONG LIVE India!"

Author Topic: British Court - Shaheed Udham Singh Speech (Read 2580 times)

TheStig

British Court - Shaheed Udham Singh Speech

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