Explained: The revolutionaries whom PM mentioned in his Independence Day speech

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained: The revolutionaries whom PM mentioned in his Independence Day speech” published in Indian Express on 16th August 2022.

What is the News?

In his Independence Day speech, the Prime Minister paid tribute to a range of personalities from India’s freedom struggle including fearless revolutionary heroes and several others who fought colonial rule outside the mainstream national movement.

Which are the revolutionaries the PM referred to in his speech?

Mangal Pandey: He was a soldier with the British Indian army. He is believed to have sparked off the mutiny of Indian soldiers at Meerut that eventually became the great revolt of 1857 and spread to other parts of North India. 

Tantya Tope: He was a trusted lieutenant of Nana Sahib, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II of the Maratha empire. Nana Sahib lost his ancestral rights under the ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ that disallowed adopted heirs of Indian rulers from ascending to the throne.

– In 1857, he brought together armed forces to declare Nana Sahib the ruler of Kanpur and attempted to protect the seat of power for over five months. 

Bhagat Singh: He was inspired by communist thought, anti-colonialism, and anti-communalism, and was involved in the symbolic bombing of the Central Legislative Assembly. 

– He was hanged by the British at the age of 23. Along with Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were also hanged to death.

Chandrashekhar Azad: He was a comrade and intellectual fellow traveller of Rajguru, Sukhdev, Bhagat Singh, Ramprasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan. He gave himself the name ‘Azad’ and vowed never to be held captive; when cornered by police in his final moments, he chose to shoot himself.

Ashfaqulla Khan: He helped form the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association(HSRA) and was part of the Kakori incident. In April 1927, Bismil, Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, and Roshan Singh were sentenced to death.

Ramprasad Bismil: He was associated with the Arya Samaj from an early age. He started writing powerful patriotic poems in Urdu and Hindi under the pen names ‘Bismil’, ‘Ram’, and ‘Agyat’. The patriotic song “Mera rang de Basanti chola” is attributed to him. He was executed at the age of 30.