'Range De Basanti' conference held on Bhagat Singh's birth anniversary
Barnala, Punjab, was witness to the 'Range De Basanti' conference held on 27th September, 2016, to celebrate the 109th birth year of Bhagat Singh. Hundreds of people present, including youth activists from the Naujawan Bharat Sabha (NBS) spoke about drug addiction, lawlessness and unemployment-contemporary Punjab's evils. Bhagat Singh was hanged at Central Jail Lahore on 23rd March, 1931, at the age of 23.
About Bhagat Singh
A revolutionary socialist from India, Bhagat Singh played a significant role in India's independence movement. He was a prominent member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). Bhagat Singh decided to devote his life to fighting for India's freedom at the young age of 16. He is immortalized through several memorials, one of which is a bronze statue in the Parliament of India.
Absence of worldly desires
In a letter he wrote while running away from his home and marriage, Bhagat Singh said, "My life has been dedicated to the noblest cause, that of the freedom of the country. Therefore, there is no rest or worldly desire that can lure me now."
Nau Jawan Bharat Sabha
Nau Jawan Bharat Sabha brought together youths from the working and peasant sections of the Indian society. Bhagat Singh founded this in March 1926. Members from the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities were a part of NJBS; together, they organized lectures, public meetings and protests. In 1929, when the government imposed Section 144, forbidding public gatherings, NJBS was banned.
Central Legislative Assembly bombing
In order to receive publicity for their goals, Bhagat Singh proposed the bombing of Central Legislative Assembly. The actual intention behind the plan was to be arrested in order to use court appearances for publicizing their beliefs. On 8th September 1929, while the Assembly was in session, two bombs were thrown. The bombs that were used were non-lethal.
Inquilab Zindabad
After bombing the Central Legislative Assembly, Bhagat Singh shouted "Inquilab Zindabad" which translates to "Long Live the Revolution!". This slogan motivated activities of Bhagat Singh, Ashfaqulla Khan and Chandra Shekhar Azad and became a rallying cry of India's independence struggle.
Bhagat Singh's 116-day hunger strike
During one of his imprisonment periods at Central Jail Mianwali, Bhagat Singh noticed that Indian prisoners received differential treatment from European ones. Equality in food standards, clothing, hygienic necessities and access to books and a daily newspaper were demanded. While on strike, Singh had to be carried to a hearing handcuffed on a stretcher, having lost 6.4kgs from his natural weight 60 kgs.
The bombs
The bombs thrown on the Central Legislative Assembly were made in Noori Darwaza, Agra. The building is currently in a dilapidated stage.
Controversies surrounding Bhagat Singh's execution
As per historical suggestions, Mahatma Gandhi had the opportunity to stop the execution of Bhagat Singh (which took place on 23rd March, 1931). Gandhi's active role in conspiring the execution of Bhagat Singh is also a theory. However, Mahatma Gandhi said, "I cannot in all conscience agree to anyone being sent to the gallows. God alone can take life, because He alone gives it."
