Shaheed Diwas or Martyrs’ Day is observed on March 23 every year throughout the country. It marks the death anniversary of young freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru. On March 23 in 1931, the three were hanged to death by Britishers. The sons of India were sentenced to death in the Lahore conspiracy case and ordered to be hanged on March 24, 1931. However, the schedule was moved forward by 11 hours and they were hanged on March 23, 1931 at 7:30 pm.

After Lala Lajpat Rai’s death in November 1928, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and others vowed to take revenge. Rai was a prominent leader of India’s freedom movement who had inspired many young Indians to join the quest for freedom.

In order to teach the ruthless Britishers a lesson, the three planned to execute James A Scott. Scott was the Superintendent of Police during the British rule and was infamous for his cruelty.

It was Scott who had ordered the police to lathi charge the protesters and personally assaulted Rai, causing life threatening injuries. The plan was to send a message to the British forces that we will not bow down anymore and are capable of taking action.

However, it was John P Saunders, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, who was killed by mistake. The three freedom fighters were charged for murder of Saunders.

Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were only 23 years old when they were hanged for executing Saunders. Their contribution in the freedom struggle is immense and will continue to inspire generations to fight for their rights.

Bhagat Singh

Bhagat Singh was born on September 27, 1907, in the village of Banga near Lyallpur district in Punjab, British India. He was an Indian freedom fighter who is considered to be one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement. Bhagat Singh joined the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) at a young age and became involved in revolutionary activities. He participated in several acts of sabotage against British institutions, including an attempt to bomb the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi. In 1929, he and two other activists were convicted of assassinating John Saunders, a British police officer. Singh was executed by hanging on March 23, 1931, at Lahore jail at the age of 23. Despite his short life, Bhagat Singh left a lasting legacy in the struggle for Indian independence. He is revered by many as a martyr and symbol of resistance to British colonialism in India. His example continues to inspire new generations of activists worldwide.

Bhagat Singh had a great impact on the Indian independence movement due to his participation in various activities that led India towards its freedom from colonial rule. His involvement with revolutionary groups resulted in him being jailed for various crimes, but he continued his activism even behind bars through writing and publishing newspapers aimed at spreading nationalist sentiments among people all over India. He was executed by hanging when he was 23 years old after leading an unsuccessful plot to kill a British police officer who ordered a lathi charge on Lala Lajpat Rai, who was protesting colonial policies at the time. This murder had a major impact on Indian society and brought Bhagat Singh to national attention as a revolutionary hero of India’s independence movement.

Rajguru

Shivaram Rajguru (1908-1931) was a great Indian freedom fighter who played a major role in the India’s struggle for Independence. He is amongst those great Indian revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of country. His full name was Hari Shivaram Rajguru and was born into a Deshastha Brahmin family. Since his childhood days, he had witnessed the brutal atrocities that the Imperial British Raj inflicted on India and her people. This instilled within him a strong urge to join hands with the revolutionaries in a bid for India’s freedom struggle.

In the days of the Indian Freedom Movement, the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA) was an active force working against the British. Their main motive was to strike fear into the heart of the British regime. They simultaneously spread awareness amongst the people. They made them take notice of the growing domestic uprising when they dealt crucial blows with attacks like in the Lahore Conspiracy Case (December 18, 1928) and the bombing of the Central Assembly Hall in New Delhi (April 8, 1929).

The protest against the Simon Commission in October 1928 saw the British police lathi-charge the protestors, severely injuring veteran leader Lala Lajpat Rai. Owing to the excessive beating, Lala succumbed to his injuries, which thus instilled revenge in the hearts of the revolutionaries. On December 18, 1928, in Ferozepur, Lahore, a planned retaliation was enforced that led to the assassination of Deputy Superintendent of Police, J.P. Saunders. Shivaram Rajguru, along with Sukhdev Thapar, was accomplice of the legendary Bhagat Singh who spearheaded the attack. Rajguru then went into hiding in Nagpur. Whilst taking shelter in the house of an RSS worker, he even met Dr. K. B. Hedgewar. On his travel to Pune, however, Shivaram was finally arrested. Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar were then convicted of their crime and sentenced to death.

Sukhdev

Sukhdev was a famous Indian revolutionary who played a major role in the India’s struggle for Independence. He is amongst those great Indian freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of their country. His full name is Sukhdev Thapar and he was born on 15th May, 1907.

His ancestral house is in Naughara Mohalla of Ludhiana city, Punjab, India. His father’s name was Ram Lal. Since his childhood days, Sukhdev had witnessed the brutal atrocities that the Imperial British Raj had inflicted on India, which then led him to join the revolutionaries, vowing to set India free from the shackles of British dominion.

Sukhdev Thapar was a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), and organized revolutionary cells in Punjab and other areas of North India. A devoted leader, he even went on to educate the youth at the National College in Lahore, greatly inspiring them about India’s glorious past. He along with other renowned revolutionaries started the ‘Naujawan Bharat Sabha’ at Lahore that was an organization involved in various activities, mainly gearing the youth for the freedom struggle and putting an end to communalism. Sukhdev himself took active part in several revolutionary activities like the ‘Prison hunger strike’ in 1929; however, he would always be remembered in the chronicles of the Indian Freedom Movement for his daring yet courageous attacks in the Lahore Conspiracy Case (18th December, 1928), that shook the very foundation of the British Government. Sukhdev was the accomplice of Bhagat Singh and Shivaram Rajguru, who were involved in the assassination of Deputy Superintendent of Police, J.P. Saunders in 1928, thus avenging the death of veteran leader, Lala Lajpat Rai, owing to excessive police beating in the Conspiracy case. After the Central Assembly Hall bombings in New Delhi (8th April, 1929), Sukhdev and his accomplices were arrested and convicted of their crime, facing the death sentence as verdict.