Author Topic: shaheed Udam Singh (Read 1751 times)

PuNjAbAn_KuRhI · « **on:** August 24, 2008, 12:38:43 PM »

Shahid Udham Singh

On March 13, 1940 , at Caxton Hall, London , a meeting had been organized by the combined efforts of the East India Society and the Royal Central Asian Society.
The Chair, Sir Percy Sykes , was giving his lecture on his experiences in Afghanistan . Former Secretary of State for India Lord Zetland and former Lt. Governor of Punjab Sir Michael O'Dwyer were also present at the meeting. In the last minutes of the meeting a man came to the front and, at point-blank range, fired two fatal shots into the right side of O'Dwyer.

The assassin was none other than the valiant and gallant hero of the Indian struggle for independence, Shaheed Udham Singh . Born on Dec. 26, 1899 in Sunam village, District Sangrur, Punjab , he came from a poor family. His father, Chuhar Ram, was a railway crossing guard. His mother died when he was two and his father when he was seven.

He was admitted to the Central Khalsa Orphanage at Putlighar in Amritsar along with his elder brother who also died later. Udham Singh was left alone. He learnt Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi and passed his matriculation exam from the orphanage.

Part of his legendary popularity rests on his volunteering after the massacre of Jallianwala Bagh for the care of the injured. Their cries and the blood-drenched soil traumatized the heart and emotions of the then 20-year-old. He vowed to take revenge on the British for this massacre. As General Dyer had passed away before Udham could reach him, he chose Sir Michael O'Dwyer , who had been Lt. Governor of Punjab in 1919.

One can readily sense the spirit of nationalism in the heart of Udham Singh that let him wait for over 20 years to take his revenge. In the late 1920s he managed to go the United States and come into contact with leaders of the Ghadar Party. He recognized Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Kartar Singh Sarabha as his model heroes. He returned to India in 1927 and was charged with illegal possession of weapons, getting a four-year prison sentence.

He managed to reach England in 1934 and started working there as a motor mechanic. But he was very conservative about his plans and ideas. He never talked with anyone about his mission for almost five years when he was in London , except for one of his friends, Shiv Singh Johal, but didn't properly disclose his mission even to him. Only after March 13, 1940 , did people come to know about his plans and his mission.

At his trial he gave his name as Ram Mohammad Singh Azad, instead of Udham Singh -- Ram identifying him as Hindu, Mohammad as Muslim, Singh as Sikh, and Azad meaning "free." He said, "I fired the shots to express my protest and estrangement. I have seen many children dying due to malnutrition in India under British rule. This was my duty and I had to do it. I have no remorse for what I have done."
On April 1,1940 , he was indicted for murder and on June 5 was sentenced to capital punishment at the Old Bailey Central Criminal Court. On July 31, 1940 , he was executed by hanging till death in London.

Author Topic: shaheed Udam Singh (Read 1751 times)

PuNjAbAn_KuRhI

shaheed Udam Singh

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