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News: The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid heartfelt tributes to the great revolutionary martyr Udham Singh on his Balidan Diwas.
About Shaheed Udham Singh
- Shaheed Udham Singh played a significant role in the history of the Indian freedom movement.
- He is also known by various other names such as Sher Singh, Ude Singh, Ram Mohammad Singh Azad and Frank Brazil, Ram Mohammad Singh Azad symbolizing the unification of the three major religions of India: Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism.
- Birth: He was born on 26 December 1899 in a Sikh family at Sunam village in Sangrur district of Punjab.
- Early life: Orphaned at a young age, he was raised at the Central Khalsa Orphanage in Amritsar, where he was given the name Udham Singh.
- From a young age, he worked as a labourer to earn a living, including in Mesopotamia during World War I and on Uganda’s railways, where he came into contact with members of the Ghadar Party.
- He later travelled to the United States, assisted Punjabi migrants, and established the Azad Party in Chicago as an offshoot of the Ghadar party.
- Revolutionary activities:
- He witnessed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919. He was deeply impacted by this incident and took a revolutionary path.
- In 1924, he joined the Ghadar Party and was also associated with the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).
- In 1927, he was arrested under Arms act and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
- While in prison, he continued to spread revolutionary ideas among fellow inmates. As punishment, the British frequently flogged him and transferred him between jails.
- During his imprisonment at Mianwali Jail (now in Punjab, Pakistan), he came into contact with Bhagat Singh, who had a profound influence on his revolutionary outlook.
- On 14 March 1940, he assassinated Michael O’Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, at Caxton Hall, London, in retaliation for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
- During his trial, he adopted the name “Ram Mohammad Singh Azad” to symbolize India’s religious unity.
- Execution and death: He was executed by hanging at Pentonville Prison, London, on 31 July 1940.
- His ashes were repatriated to India in 1974 and are preserved at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial.
- Legacy: He is remembered as “Shaheed-i-Azam” (Great Martyr) for his courage and sacrifice in India’s struggle against British colonial rule.
- Every year on December 26, his birth anniversary is celebrated.
