Kakori heroes: Youth who dared the empire for India's freedom
Chandrashekhar Azad
Born
|
July 23, 1906
Native
|
Unnao, UP
Chandrashekhar Azad left home at the age of 15 left home and worked as a labourer in Bombay before heading to Varanasi where he joined a Sanskrit school and participated in the freedom struggle. It was during this movement that he was arrested and sentenced to 15 lashes. With each strike, he shouted 'Mahatma Gandhi ki Jai! When his name was asked in court, he said 'Azad', meaning 'free', declaring that his father's name was 'Swatantrata' (freedom) and his residence was 'jail'.
The name stuck, and Chandrashekhar was known as 'Azad' forever. He played a key role in the Kakori Train Action. Bhagat Singh once joked, 'Panditji, if caught, you'll surely be hanged.' Azad replied, 'Let that be your fate. As long as my 'Bamtul Bukhara' (his pistol's nickname) is in my hand, no one can catch me alive'. True to his word, on Feb 27, 1931, cornered by the police at Alfred Park in Allahabad, he fought valiantly and shot himself instead of surrender.
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Ashfaqullah Khan
Born
|
Oct 22, 1900
Native
|
Shahjahanpur, UP
He was the only Muslim hero in the Kakori Train Action who sacrificed his life for the country. Born on Oct 22, 1900, in UP's Shahjahanpur, he was lovingly called 'Achchu'. A passionate Urdu poet who wrote under the pen name 'Hasrat'. He was a close friend of Ram Prasad Bismil, who was initially hesitant to include him in the revolutionary group. Before the incident, he had warned his comrades: 'This will be a direct confrontation with the British, and they will leave no stone unturned to destroy us.
' After his arrest, he was taken from Delhi to Lucknow. British officers tried to use religious pressure through Muslim clerics and relatives, but Ashfaq replied 'Let me die with honour.' At Faizabad jail, he walked to the gallows carrying the Quran, saying 'Labbaik' (Here I am, O Lord!). Before his hanging, he said: 'My hands are not stained with human blood. God will give me justice.)'
Ram Prasad Bismil
Born
|
June 11, 1897
Native
|
Shahjahanpur, UP
He was not just a freedom fighter but a poet, writer, and translator whose pen and pistol worked in harmony for the nation.
From a young age, Bismil was drawn to the idea of Arya Samaj. This exposure led him to join the revolutionary path during his adolescence. His poetic spirit flourished alongside his activism. He wrote powerful patriotic poems under the pen name 'Bismil', meaning 'deeply wounded'. His greatest literary legacy remains his autobiography, secretly written in Gorakhpur Jail days before his hanging.
Bismil was a founding member of HRA.
After a long trial, Bismil and his closest associates were sentenced to death. Offered bribes and clemency in exchange for testimony, Bismil stood unshaken. On Dec 19, 1927, at the age of 30, Bismil was hanged in Gorakhpur Jail.
Sachindra Nath Sanyal
Born
|
April 3, 1890
Native
|
Varanasi, UP
Born in 1893 in a Bengali family in Banaras, Sanyal represented the new generation of revolutionaries. He was a key member of the Gadar Party and the Anushilan Samiti, which he helped establish in Banaras.
During WW I, he was a close associate of Ras Bihari Bose. Sanyal was arrested in the Banaras Conspiracy Case and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Andaman Islands, where he wrote the book 'Bandi Jeevan'. Released in 1920, he returned to revolutionary activities.
In 1923, he founded the Hindustan Republican Association. He was a key strategist of the Kakori Train Action and arranged for 50 advanced Mauser pistols to be smuggled into India for the operation.
In Kakori Action, Sanyal was again awarded life term. He was released in 1937 but rearrested in 1940. He died ofTB in 1943. His famous pamphlet, 'The Revolutionary', articulated revolutionaries' goal of establishing a democratic and socialistic society.
Rajendra Nath Lahiri
Born
|
June 29, 1901
Native
|
Pabna district, Bengal
He was born in Bengal and, like his patriotic father, was deeply committed to India's freedom. Sent to Banaras for education, he became active in literary circles and edited a revolutionary-leaning monthly magazine 'Agnidoot'.
He was a key figure in the Hindustan Republican Association, serving as its district organizer in Banaras. Lahiri played an active role in Kakori Train Action, where he was one of the revolutionaries who pulled the train's chain to stop it.
He was later arrested while learning to make bombs in Calcutta and sentenced to 10 years jail. When his involvement in the Kakori case was discovered, he was brought to Lucknow where he was sentenced to death.
On Dec 17, 1927, he was executed in Gonda Jail, two days earlier than planned, reportedly to foil a rescue attempt. Before his execution, he performed his daily exercises, telling a magistrate he wanted to be strong in his next life to continue fighting for India's independence.
Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee
Born
|
1895
Native
|
Dhaka, Bangladesh
He was a leading revolutionary from Dhaka and a key figure in Kakori Action. He was initially sentenced to 10 years, which was later increased to life imprisonment.
Chatterjee played a crucial role in organizing the Hindustan Republican Association in Uttar Pradesh. During World War I, he was arrested and later released under a general amnesty. He immediately rejoined the revolutionary movement, helping to build a strong network in Kanpur.
After Kakori Action, he led hunger strikes in jail to protest the inhumane treatment of political prisoners, which forced the govt to concede to their demands.
Released in 1937, he was rearrested for defying a ban on entering Delhi and was imprisoned again during World War II. He participated in a famous hunger strike at the Deoli detention camp, which severely affected his health and led to his release. After India's independence, he served as a Rajya Sabha member.
Thakur Roshan Singh
Born
|
Jan 22, 1892
Native
|
Shahjahanpur, UP
Born in 1892, Thakur Roshan Singh was a skilled fighter proficient in lathi, sword, and rifle. Inspired by Arya Samaj ideals, he actively participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement, even serving a two-year prison sentence. After the Chauri Chaura incident, he became disillusioned with non-violence and joined Bismil's revolutionary circle. In 1924, during a robbery for funds, Roshan Singh shot and killed a villager, which later became the sole reason for his death sentence.
Although not directly involved in Kakori train action, he was arrested as an accomplice. He was hanged on Dec 19, 1927.
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