The National Martyrs Memorial

The National Martyrs Memorial

Subject – History

Context – The Prime Minister’s event at Ferozepur was cancelled after his convoy was stranded on a flyover for 15-20 minutes as the road was blocked by protesters near the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala.

Concept –

• National Martyrs Memorial Hussainiwala depicts an irrepressible revolutionary spirit of three National Martyrs namely Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev who lit eternal flame of liberty by smilingly embracing martyrdom for the motherland.
• S Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt threw a Bomb in the Central Assembly hall New Delhi on April, 8 1929 to record their protest against the British rule in India. He and his two brave comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev were tried for shooting a British Police Officer Mr Saundras on the 17th December, 1928
• These three revolutionaries were awarded death sentence. Following a hasty trial of the Lahore conspiracy case they were executed a day earlier than the hanging scheduled in the Central Jail Lahore at 7.15 PM on March 23,1931
• The Jail authorities broke the back wal of the Jail and secretly brought the dead bodies of S Bhaghat Singh and comrades here, on this spot at the bank of the river Sutlej for an unceremonial cremation.

Bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly(April 1929)

• The HSRA leadership now decided to let the people know about its changed objectives and the need for a revolution by the masses.
• Bhagat Singh and BatukeshwarDutt were asked to throw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly on April8, 1929 to protest against the passage of the Public Safety Bill and Trade Disputes Bill aimed at curtailing civil liberties of citizens in general and workers in particular.
• The bombs had been deliberately made harmless and were aimed at making ‘the deaf hear’.
• The objective was to get arrested and to use the trial court as a forum for propaganda so that people would become familiar with their movement and ideology.

Action against the Revolutionaries

• Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were tried in the Lahore conspiracy case. Many other revolutionaries were tried in a series of other cases.
• In jail, these revolutionaries protested against the horrible conditions through fasting, and demanded honourable and decent treatment as political prisoners.
• JatinDas became the first martyr on the 64th day of his fast.
• The defence of these young revolutionaries was organised by Congress leaders. Bhagat Singh became a household name.
• Azad was involved in a bid to blow up Viceroy Irwin’ strain near Delhi in December 1929.
• During 1930 there were a series of violent actions in Punjab and towns of United Provinces (26 incidents in 1930 in Punjab alone).Azad died in a police encounter in a park in Allahabad in February 1931.
• Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged on March 23, 1931.