Today India celebrates Shaheed Diwas 2021 in the remembrance of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were three revolutionaries that were responsible in igniting the desire of revolution to achieve freedom in Indian masses during the British Raj. On March 23, 1931, the three revolutionaries were hanged by the Britishers in the Lahore Jail.

Not to be confused with another Martyrs Day that’s observed on January 30th, the day when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, each year March 23 is observed as Martyr’s Day or Shaheed Diwas. The day is an opportunity for the Indian youth to remember the three revolutionaries who laid their life in their fight against the colonists.

On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his respects to the martyrs taking to Twitter.

Indian Vice President Mr. M Venkaiah Naidu also took to Twitter and paid his respects to the three martyrs and added how “The nation will remain forever grateful to these brave hearts for their supreme sacrifice and dedicated efforts to free our motherland.”

Let’s go back in time and know more about the trio of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru:

Bhagat Singh

Bhagat Singh was born on September 27, 1907 in Punjab. Singh was born and brought up in a family full of freedom fighters. From his uncle Sardar Ajit Singh to his father Kishan Singh, Singh was nurtured from his childhood to have a freedom fighter’s zeal burning inside forever. After the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on April 13, 1919, Bhagat Singh went to Amritsar with the imprints of the Ghadar Movement and Jallianwala massacre in his mind. In an interesting anecdoate that shows Bhagat Singh’s true inclination towards his nation’s freedom, when he was asked to marry, he rejected saying “if my marriage is to happen in a slave-India, my bride shall only be death.”

Shivaram Rajguru

Born on August 24, 1908 in Maharashtra, Rajguru joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) and joined forces with like-minded individuals who wanted to free India from British rule in any way they can. In a bid for India’s freedom from colonists, Rajguru joined forces with Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev Thakur. Together, the trio took the revenge of revolutionary Lala Lajpat Rai’s assassination and was later charged for unlawful acts in the Lahore Conspiracy Case trial and hung to death.

Sukhdev Thapar

Sukhdev Thapar was born on May 15, 1907 in Ludhiana, Punjab. Like most Indians, he also witnessed the pain inflicted by colonists to the country’s people. However, unlike most Indians, he chose to take matters in his own hand and do his part in the country’s struggle for freedom. Just like Rajguru, Sukhdev too joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association and became the chief of Punjab unit of HSRA. Sukhdev was also known for the 114-day prison hunger strike and his part in the Lahore Conspiracy Case with his revolutionary brother Rajguru and Bhagat Singh.

Timeline of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev’s brave sacrifice for their motherland

On October 30, 1928 Lala Lajpat Rai, a revolutionary who was held in the highest of regards by his fellow men, was leading a protest against Simon Commission in Lahore. The protest was met with a brute force and the Britishers carried out a lathi charge against Rai and his other fellow revolutionary brothers and sister. Rai suffered injuries in the lathi charged and eventually succumbed to them on November 17.

Miles away, Bhagat Singh, who never actually witnessed Lala Lajpat Rai’s death, made the decision to take revenge of his assassination. He joined forces with Rajguru, and Sukhdev. It was Chandrashekhar Azad who then created the plan to kill the Police Superintendent James Scott who gave the order of lathi charge that took the life of Lala Lajpat Rai.

In a twist of fate, Bhagat Singh and Rajguru killed John Saunders, the Assistant Superintendent in a mistaken identity incident. Singh, Rajguru and his other fellow revolutionaries fled and stayed on the run for the next few months.

After being on the run for the most part of the coming months, Bhagat Singh and revolutionary Batukeshwar Dutt struck back and threw two bombs inside the Legislative Assembly in Delhi to oppose the Public Safety Bill. The bombs were deliberately made in a way that it doesn’t kill anyone but sent a message. Although Singh and Dutt could have eloped, they stood their ground and shouted ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ and got arrested. Trial proceedings against Dutt and Singh commenced and the court ordered a life sentence against the two men.

Lahore Conspiracy Case Trial

While Singh and Dutt were thrown in jail, the British police continued their investigation regarding where the bombs used by Singh and Dutt came from. The police searched the HSRA bomb factories in Lahore and connected the dots. Several prominent revolutionaries were arrested and thrown in jail, including Rajguru and Sukhdev. The court found Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru guilty of unlawful activities and slapped a life sentence order against the three men.

On the fateful morning of March 23, the trio were hung in Lahore Jail. Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev were just 23 years old at the time of their execution while Rajguru was just 22 years old. Legend has it that the trio never opposed to their execution, but went towards the execution chamber laughing and chanting “Inquilab Zindabad”.