Bhagat Singh, the hero of the Indian independence movement

BY A STAFF REPORTER: Bhagat Singh was the hero of the Indian independence movement towards the turn of the 20th century. He was a vocal critic of British rule in India and was involved in two high-profile attacks on British authorities — one on the local police chief and the other on delhi's central legislature. In 1928, in a protest demonstration, Lahore Superintendent of Police James Scott ordered a lathi charge in which Lala Lajpat Rai was seriously injured and died.

To avenge his death, Bhagat Singh, along with Jai Gopal, Rajguru and Chandrashekhar Azad, planned to kill Scott, but mistakenly shot his assistant John Saunders.

Even after this, Bhagat Singh managed to remain underground and contribute to the revolutionary movement. Then, on April 8, 1929, he and Batukeshwar Dutt hurled a bomb at the Central Assembly Hall in Delhi, the purpose of which was not to kill anyone. He was arrested in a bomb case and imprisoned. After a long series of trials, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were sentenced to death on 7 October 1930 for the murder of Saunders. On March 23, 1931, 11 hours before the scheduled time, three men were executed in lahore central jail.