Udham Singh is a well-known figure of the Indian independence movement. He is sometimes referred to as Shaheed-i-Azam Sardar Udham Singh (the expression "Shaheed-i-Azam," Urdu: شہِیدِاعظم, means "the great martyr"). A district (Udham Singh Nagar) of Uttarakhand was named after him to pay homage in October 1995 by the then Mayawati government.
| Shaheed Udham Singh Kamboj | ||||||||||||||||
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| Born |
26 December 1899 Sunam, Punjab, British India | |||||||||||||||
| Died |
31 July 1940 (aged 40) Barnsbury, England, United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||
| Organization |
Ghadar Party, Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, Indian Workers Early lifeUdham Singh was born as Sher Singh on 26 December 1899, at Sunam in the Sangrur district of Punjab, India, to a Sikh kamboj family. His father, Tehal Singh Kamboj, was a railway crossing watchman in the village of Upalli.After his father's death, Singh and his elder brother, Mukta Singh Kamboj, Were taken in by the Central Khalsa Orphanage Putlighar in Amritsar. At the orphanage, Singh was administered the Sikh initiatory rites and received the name of Udham Singh Kamboj. He passed his matriculation examination in 1918 and left the orphanage in 1919. Massacre at Jallianwala BaghOn 10 April 1919, a number of local leaders allied to the Indian National Congress including Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew were arrested under the Rowlatt Act. Protestors against the arrests were fired on by British troops, precipitating a riot. On 13 April, over twenty thousand unarmed People were assembled in Jallianwal Bagh, Amritsar to protest against the act. Udham Singh and his friends from the orphanage were serving water to the crowd.Troops were dispatched by Governor Michael O'Dwyer, under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer. Dyer ordered his troops to fire without warning on the assembled crowd in Jallianwala Bagh. Since the only exit was barred by soldiers, people tried to escape by climbing the park walls or jumping into a well for protection. An estimated 1,800 people were killed and over 1,200 were wounded.Udham Singh Kamboj was deeply affected by the event. The governor of Punjab, Michael O'Dwyer, had ordered the massacre, and Udham Singh held him responsible.Udham Singh became involved in revolutionary politics and was deeply influenced by Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary group. In 1924, Udham Singh became involved with the Ghadar Party, organizing Indians overseas towards overthrowing colonial rule. In 1927, he returned to India on orders from Bhagat Singh, bringing 25 associates as well as revolvers and ammunition. Soon after, he was arrested for possession of unlicensed arms. Revolvers, ammunition, and copies of a prohibited Ghadar Party paper called "Ghadr-i-Gunj" ("Voice of Revolt") were confiscated. He was prosecuted and sentenced to five years in prison. Upon his release from prison in 1931, Singh's movements were under constant surveillance by the Punjab police. He made his way to Kashmir, where he was able to evade the police and escape to Germany. In 1934, he reached London, where he found employment as an engineer. Privately, he formed plans to assassinate Michael O'Dwyer. In Singh's diaries for 1939 and 1940, he occasionally misspells O'Dwyer's surname as "O'Dyer", leaving a possibility he may have confused O'Dwyer with General Dyer. Shooting in Caxton HallOn 13 March 1940, Michael O'Dwyer was scheduled to speak at a joint meeting of the East India Association and the Central Asian Society (now Royal Society for Asian Affairs) at Caxton Hall, London. Singh concealed a revolver he had earlier purchased from a soldier in a pub inside his jacket pocket, then entered the hall, and found an open seat. As the meeting concluded, Singh shot O'Dwyer twice as he moved towards the speaking platform. One of these bullets passed through O'Dwyer's heart and right lung, killing him almost immediately. Others injured in the shooting included Sir Louis Dane, Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland,[10] and Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington. Singh was arrested and tried for the killing. He tried to kill O'Dwyer and Zetland (who was secretary of State for India affairs in 1919), together to draw attention to British atrocities in India.Murder trial and execution
Udham Singh Kamboj (second from the left) being taken from 10 Caxton Hall after the assassination of Michael O'Dwyer
While awaiting his trial, Singh went on a 42-day hunger strike and had to be forcibly fed. On 4 June 1940, his trial commenced at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, before Justice Atkinson, with V.K. Krishna Menon and St. John Hutchison representing him. When asked about his motivation, Kamboj explained: 
Wide view of Jallianwala Bagh memorial
I did it because I had a grudge against him. He deserved it. He was the real culprit. He wanted to crush the spirit of my people, so I have crushed him. For full 21 years, I have been trying to seek vengeance. I am happy that I have done the job. I am not scared of death. I am dying for my country. I have seen my people starving in India under the British rule. I have protested against this, it was my duty. What greater honour could be bestowed on me than death for the sake of my motherland?Singh was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Following his conviction, he made a speech which the judge directed should not be released to the press. On 31 July 1940, Singh was hanged at Pentonville Prison. His remains are preserved at the Jallianwala Bhag in Amritsar, Punjab. On every 31 July, marches are held out in Sunam by various organisations and every statue of Singh in the city is tributed with flower garlands. Although many Indians regarded Singh's actions as a response to some brutal aspects of British colonial rule, officially, his actions were deplored and condemned in India, with Mahatma Gandhi referring to Singh's actions as "an act of insanity",[11] stating: "The outrage has caused me deep pain. I regard it as an act of insanity ... I hope this will not be allowed to affect political judgement."[14] The Hindustan Socialist Republican Army condemned Mahatma Gandhi's statement, considering this to be a challenge to the Indian Youths. Pt Jawaharlal Nehru wrote in The National Herald, "[The] assassination is regretted but it is earnestly hoped that it will not have far-reaching repercussions on [the] political future of India." In its 18 March 1940 issue, Amrita Bazar Patrika wrote, "O'Dwyer's name is connected with Punjab incidents which India will never forget". The Punjab section of Congress in the Punjab Assembly led by Dewan Chaman Lal refused to vote for the Premier's motion to condemn the assassination. In April 1940, at the Annual Session of the All India Congress Committee held in commemoration of 21st anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, the youth wing of the Indian National Congress Party displayed revolutionary slogans in support of Singh, applauding his action as patriotic and heroic. Singh had some support from the international press. The Times of London called him a "fighter for freedom", his actions "an expression of the pent-up fury of the downtrodden Indian people." Bergeret from Rome praised Singh's action as courageous. In March 1940, Indian National Congress leader Jawahar Lal Nehru, condemned the action of Singh as senseless, however, in 1962, Nehru reversed his stance and applauded Singh with the following published statement: "I salute Shaheed-i-Azam Udham Singh with reverence who had kissed the noose so that we may be free." RepatriationIn 1974, Singh's remains were exhumed and repatriated to India at the request of MLA Sadhu Singh Thind. Thind accompanied the remains back to India, where the casket was received by Indira Gandhi, Shankar Dayal Sharma and Zail Singh. Udham Singh Kamboj was later cremated in his birthplace of Sunam in Punjab and his ashes were scattered in the Sutlej river. Some of his ashes were retained; these retained ashes are kept inside sealed urn at Jallianwala Bagh.Ancestral HouseS. Udham Singh Kamboj's ancestral house in Sunam is still conserved, albeit with several modifications to prevent the structure from collapsing. It is located near Anand Chowk in the city. It is not a large mansion, but a small house with a small, old wooden door. If seen from outside, it is old fashioned i.e.- made up of small old bricks without cement layer. From inside, it is well furnished and organised and numerous pictures of Singh and his family are hung on the walls. Also, a library has been established inside the house where the books related to him and his life are kept. Biographies on him by different authors can be found in the collection. A person has also been employed to guide the tourists and also to take care of the place. A register is placed on a table inside the house, in which the visitors fill in their details, their remarks about the place and their suggestions. Till now, many names and suggestions from different parts of the country and abroad have been recorded.SOURCES :AMAR KRANTIKARI , BHARAT KAY KRANTKARI AND WIKIPEDIA POSTED BY : VIPUL KOUL , EDITED BY : ASHOK KOUL | |||||||||||||||
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