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Economic Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
The 'Hindu-German conspiracy' that nearly shook the British Raj
Synopsis During World War I, Indian revolutionaries and German agents conspired to incite an armed revolt against British rule. The "Hindu-German Conspiracy," originating in the U.S., aimed to exploit Britain's wartime vulnerability. Revolutionaries sought resources from Germany, planning coordinated uprisings in India. However, British intelligence thwarted the plot, leading to arrests and the trial in San Francisco. iStock During World War I, Indian revolutionaries and Germany plotted against British rule In the chaos of World War I, a secret plot took shape as Indian revolutionaries and German agents joined forces in a daring plan to ignite an armed uprising against the British Raj. It was bold, risky, and spread across continents, with plans for smuggling arms, stirring mutiny, and striking at the heart of the 1914 and 1917, the neutral United States served as the springboard for the so-called "Hindu-German Conspiracy", that's what the trial case was called in the US, while for Indian revolutionaries in the US -- mostly Punjabis and Bengalis -- this was not a conspiracy but an elaborate plan to overthrow British rule in India. Also Read: One pound a year for 200 years: Britain's moral debt to IndiaThe Hindu–German Conspiracy didn't appear out of thin air; it was born out of years of simmering resentment and the right moment to strike. For decades, Indians at home and abroad had watched British Raj tighten its grip, stifling political freedoms and draining resources. By the time World War I broke out, many believed that if a revolt was ever going to succeed, it had to be first spark came from a deep well of nationalist anger. Repressive colonial laws, racial discrimination, and economic exploitation had left a generation disillusioned with petitions and peaceful protests. Among the Indian diaspora, especially in North America, the mood was turning from frustration to action. Revolutionary circles were forming, and they were willing to take the fight far beyond speeches. Then came the war — and with it, an opening. Britain's attention was locked on Europe, its troops and resources pulled to the front. To the revolutionaries, this was more than a distraction for the empire; it was a crack in the armour, and they were determined to force it wide involvement sealed the plan. Locked in battle with Britain, Berlin saw a golden chance to strike at its enemy's colonies. German agents began meeting Indian nationalists abroad, offering arms, funds, and safe passage. For both, it was a marriage of convenience: the revolutionaries needed resources to fuel their rebellion, and Germany needed unrest to rattle the British war effort from the the activities sponsored were lectures, a scholarship fund to bring Indian students to America, and a weekly journal, the Ghadar. The first issue of this paper boldly declared: 'Today there begins in foreign lands . . . a war against the British Raj. . . . What is our name? Mutiny. What is our work? Mutiny. Where will mutiny break out? In India. The time will soon come when rifles and blood will take the place of pens and ink.'Also Read: Narco-colonialism: How Britain exploited Indians for its drug trade with ChinaThe Ghadar call to arms travelled faster than the British expected. Across North America, Indian labourers left sawmills, railway yards, and farms, boarding ships bound for Asia. In their pockets were coded messages; in their minds, visions of a mutiny that would set India San Francisco to Tokyo, the plan tightened. German consuls acted as go-betweens, arranging for arms shipments to slip across oceans under false flags. Couriers carried funds through Hong Kong, letters travelled in cypher, and names of sympathetic soldiers inside the British Indian Army were quietly passed along. The aim was clear: spark coordinated revolts in Punjab, Bengal, and beyond — hitting the empire when its troops were bogged down in shadows are rarely one-sided. British intelligence had been watching. From informants within the diaspora to intercepted letters, fragments of the plot began to surface. In Canada, the failed Komagata Maru voyage in 1914 had already drawn attention to militant networks. By late 1914, the empire's security web stretched from Singapore to San Francisco, quietly pulling at the conspiracy's breaking point came in February 1915. A planned mass uprising in Punjab — timed to coincide with troop movements — was betrayed from within. Arrests swept through Lahore and Calcutta. Arms caches were seized before they could be distributed. In Rangoon and Singapore, soldiers suspected of sympathy were disarmed. Also Read: Bank of Azad Hind: When Netaji gave India its own currency Meanwhile, in the US, the conspiracy's foreign wing faced a different kind of battle. The 'Hindu–German Conspiracy Trial' in San Francisco became one of the largest and longest trials in American history. For months, prosecutors laid out evidence of arms deals, coded messages, and meetings between Indian nationalists and German officials. The spectacle pulled the plot into the open just as the US was stepping into the war on Britain's 1917, the network lay shattered. Dozens of leaders were imprisoned or executed; others slipped underground or fled abroad. The uprising in India never materialised on the scale its planners had imagined. For Germany, it was another failed tactic in a global war. For the revolutionaries, it was a bitter reminder that courage alone could not overcome the reach of imperial intelligence. Even in failure, the conspiracy left its mark. It showed that the Indian independence movement was no longer bound by geography and its fight could cross oceans, weave through enemy alliances, and strike at Britain when it least expected. The flame may have been smothered, but the embers would glow for decades, waiting for another moment, another crack in the the years that followed, new leaders and movements would rise, learning from the conspiracy's mistakes and carrying forward its legacy.
Time of India
14-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
The 'Hindu-German conspiracy' that nearly shook the British Raj
During World War I, Indian revolutionaries and German agents conspired to incite an armed revolt against British rule. The "Hindu-German Conspiracy," originating in the U.S., aimed to exploit Britain's wartime vulnerability. Revolutionaries sought resources from Germany, planning coordinated uprisings in India. However, British intelligence thwarted the plot, leading to arrests and the trial in San Francisco. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why was the conspiracy hatched? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads How the plan unfolded Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A spark for independence In the chaos of World War I, a secret plot took shape as Indian revolutionaries and German agents joined forces in a daring plan to ignite an armed uprising against the British Raj . It was bold, risky, and spread across continents, with plans for smuggling arms, stirring mutiny, and striking at the heart of the 1914 and 1917, the neutral United States served as the springboard for the so-called " Hindu-German Conspiracy ", that's what the trial case was called in the US, while for Indian revolutionaries in the US -- mostly Punjabis and Bengalis -- this was not a conspiracy but an elaborate plan to overthrow British rule in Hindu–German Conspiracy didn't appear out of thin air; it was born out of years of simmering resentment and the right moment to strike. For decades, Indians at home and abroad had watched British Raj tighten its grip, stifling political freedoms and draining resources. By the time World War I broke out, many believed that if a revolt was ever going to succeed, it had to be first spark came from a deep well of nationalist anger. Repressive colonial laws, racial discrimination, and economic exploitation had left a generation disillusioned with petitions and peaceful protests. Among the Indian diaspora, especially in North America, the mood was turning from frustration to action. Revolutionary circles were forming, and they were willing to take the fight far beyond came the war — and with it, an opening. Britain's attention was locked on Europe, its troops and resources pulled to the front. To the revolutionaries, this was more than a distraction for the empire; it was a crack in the armour, and they were determined to force it wide involvement sealed the plan. Locked in battle with Britain, Berlin saw a golden chance to strike at its enemy's colonies. German agents began meeting Indian nationalists abroad, offering arms, funds, and safe passage. For both, it was a marriage of convenience: the revolutionaries needed resources to fuel their rebellion, and Germany needed unrest to rattle the British war effort from the the activities sponsored were lectures, a scholarship fund to bring Indian students to America, and a weekly journal, the Ghadar. The first issue of this paper boldly declared: 'Today there begins in foreign lands . . . a war against the British Raj. . . . What is our name? Mutiny. What is our work? Mutiny. Where will mutiny break out? In India. The time will soon come when rifles and blood will take the place of pens and ink.'The Ghadar call to arms travelled faster than the British expected. Across North America, Indian labourers left sawmills, railway yards, and farms, boarding ships bound for Asia. In their pockets were coded messages; in their minds, visions of a mutiny that would set India San Francisco to Tokyo, the plan tightened. German consuls acted as go-betweens, arranging for arms shipments to slip across oceans under false flags. Couriers carried funds through Hong Kong, letters travelled in cypher, and names of sympathetic soldiers inside the British Indian Army were quietly passed along. The aim was clear: spark coordinated revolts in Punjab, Bengal, and beyond — hitting the empire when its troops were bogged down in shadows are rarely one-sided. British intelligence had been watching. From informants within the diaspora to intercepted letters, fragments of the plot began to surface. In Canada, the failed Komagata Maru voyage in 1914 had already drawn attention to militant networks. By late 1914, the empire's security web stretched from Singapore to San Francisco, quietly pulling at the conspiracy's breaking point came in February 1915. A planned mass uprising in Punjab — timed to coincide with troop movements — was betrayed from within. Arrests swept through Lahore and Calcutta. Arms caches were seized before they could be distributed. In Rangoon and Singapore, soldiers suspected of sympathy were in the US, the conspiracy's foreign wing faced a different kind of battle. The 'Hindu–German Conspiracy Trial' in San Francisco became one of the largest and longest trials in American history. For months, prosecutors laid out evidence of arms deals, coded messages, and meetings between Indian nationalists and German officials. The spectacle pulled the plot into the open just as the US was stepping into the war on Britain's 1917, the network lay shattered. Dozens of leaders were imprisoned or executed; others slipped underground or fled abroad. The uprising in India never materialised on the scale its planners had imagined. For Germany, it was another failed tactic in a global war. For the revolutionaries, it was a bitter reminder that courage alone could not overcome the reach of imperial in failure, the conspiracy left its mark. It showed that the Indian independence movement was no longer bound by geography and its fight could cross oceans, weave through enemy alliances, and strike at Britain when it least expected. The flame may have been smothered, but the embers would glow for decades, waiting for another moment, another crack in the the years that followed, new leaders and movements would rise, learning from the conspiracy's mistakes and carrying forward its legacy.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Declare July 23 as ‘Guru Nanak Jahaz Remembrance Day': Akal Takht jathedar
1 2 3 Bathinda/Amritsar: Officiating jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj, has called upon Sikh institutions and the central and Punjab govt to officially declare July 23 as 'Guru Nanak Jahaz Remembrance Day'. This date coincides with the forced return of passengers on the Guru Nanak Jahaz (Komagata Maru) from Vancouver in Canada on July 23, 1914. The Canadian city of Surrey has proclaimed July 23 as Guru Nanak Jahaz Remembrance Day. Earlier, the city of Vancouver declared Guru Nanak Jahaz Remembrance Day on May 23, when 376 passengers aboard the vessel arrived in Vancouver. Jathedar Gargaj said that on this day in 1914, under the leadership of Ghadar revolutionary Baba Gurdit Singh, a large group of Punjabis — mostly Sikhs — seeking a better future arrived in Canada. However, they were forcibly turned away, which was a grave violation of human rights. He stated that this episode is now officially recognised in Canadian cities such as Surrey and Vancouver as Guru Nanak Jahaz Remembrance Day, which he hailed as a significant step towards acknowledging historical truth. This day commemorates a major struggle against racism and in defence of human rights, led by Baba Gurdit Singh, who in 1914 founded the Guru Nanak Steamship Company. He chartered a Japanese vessel from Komagata Maru Company, renamed it Guru Nanak Jahaz, and challenged Canada's then-racist immigration laws. Jathedar Gargaj emphasised that historical sources clearly show that the journey from Hong Kong to Canada was deeply spiritual, marked by the presence of Guru Granth Sahib, Akand Panth Sahib, and the Nishan Sahib (Sikh flag) on board, embodying the values of Sri Guru Nanak Dev. He expressed regret that in India, history books still refer to the ship as Komagata Maru, despite Baba Gurdit Singh naming it Guru Nanak Jahaz, a fact verified in his autobiographical book, Guru Nanak Jahaz. He appealed to universities, academic institutions, and gurdwara management bodies across India to do justice to this history by adopting the correct name — Guru Nanak Jahaz — in textbooks and curricula. Teaching this name instead of Komagata Maru would be both historically accurate and morally just, he said. Such efforts, he added, would present true history and serve as a source of spiritual inspiration for future generations. Jathedar Gargaj said this event played a crucial role in the early 20th-century freedom movement and helped awaken the spirit of independence in the country. Baba Gurdit Singh, he added, must always be remembered among the great heroes of India's freedom struggle. He expressed gratitude to the city councils of Vancouver and Surrey for recognising July 23 not as Komagata Maru Day, but as Guru Nanak Jahaz Remembrance Day.
The Hindu
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Veterinarian Rana Preet Gill revives memories of the Ghadar movement in her new book
When veterinary officer with Punjab government, Rana Preet Gill went on a vacation to the Andamans in 2019, she saw a statue of Pt Ram Rakha Bali in the park outside the Cellular Jail. What hit her most was how little she knew about the man associated with the Mandalay conspiracy case, wherein members of the Ghadar Party were accused of conspiring to incite rebellion against British rule in India, among troops in Mandalay and other parts of Burma, in a series of trials in 1916 and 1917. 'I felt ashamed; I hail from Hoshiarpur, the same village as Bali in Punjab and hardly had any knowledge about the contribution of this Ghadar revolutionary,' she says. After returning home, Rana Preet began researching and seamlessly it led her on a journey to write The Ghadar Movement: A Forgotten Struggle, published by Penguin Viking. Several lesser-known revolutionaries of the Ghadar Movement find mention in the book, replete with rich anecdotes and in-depth research. 'I was intrigued by Ram Rakha, who went on a hunger strike and sacrificed his life. It aroused my curiosity about the Mandalay Conspiracy and I met many historians and gathered information. The research led me to the Ghadar Movement and the book was born out of my love for the martyrs. The library in Jalandhar, built by the Gadharites, is invaluable,' says Rana Preet. There were few books on members of the Ghadar Party,including a few by Bhagat Singh. Rana Preet decided to make the stories accessible. 'A majority of the literature available is academic and out of bounds for common readers,' she says. Her experience of writing two novels earlier motivated her to attempt this complex subject. . It took Rana Preet five years to complete the manuscript. The 38-chapter narrative, spanning 244 pages, is lucid, beginning with Bombay, Bengal, and Punjab under British Rule. It sets the tone with tales of bravery and transitions to the exodus of the Punjab peasantry to far-flung places including Burma, Malaya, Singapore, China, Iran, Egypt, and East Africa before exploring Canada and America. Stories about Sohan Singh Bhakna and Pandit Kanshi Ram are well constructed. Rana Preet is at her best when writing about the revolutionaries in exile- Shyamaji Krishnavarma, who owned the India House at 9, Queen's Wood, Highgate; Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Madam Bhikaji Rustom Cama, Ramnath Puri, a bank clerk from Lahore; Taraknath Das, who went abroad to master the art of revolution; Guru Dutt Kumar, who operated from Canada; Pandurang Khankhoje and Abdul Hafiz Mohammed Barakatullah `Bhopali', who was proficient in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, English, German and Japanese. Barakatullah travelled to England, America, Japan and was said to be a great advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity. Rana Preet highlights the allure and appeal of studying abroad during those times. Jawala Singh Thatthiyan, a 'prosperous potato farmer' near California, was at the forefront, offering scholarships to meritorious students. The scholarships began in 1912 and provided a monthly stipend of $ 50 in addition to study materials and travel expenses. The chapter on Lala Har Dayal, described as the Face of Ghadar, is one the most engaging. Inspired by the `Lion of Punjab', Lala Lajpat Rai, Lala Har Dayal left for England on a British Government scholarship in 1905 at the age of 21 and returned to India in 1908. 'After India attained independence, the Ghadar Party was officially disbanded. The premises on 5 Wood Street was handed over to the government of India marking the end of an era of revolution. But the spirit of Ghadar stayed alive. A living, breathing, formless, fiery spirit with a heart and soul,' says Rana Preet.
Indian Express
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Bunch of fake revolutionaries': Arora under Oppn fire for ‘not knowing Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha'
In the rup-up to Ludhiana West by-election slated for June 19, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate-cum-Rajya Sabha member Sanjeev Arora came under fire from the Opposition parties Sunday for 'not knowing' Ghadar movement hero and revolutionary freedom fighter Shaheed Kartar Singh Sabha. AAP had organized a public meeting Saturday in Ludhiana's Sarabha Nagar, an upscale residential cum commercial hub named after the Ghadar revolutionary. The shopkeepers in the colony have been demanding for a long time that their market should also be renamed after Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha. The meeting was also attended by CM Bhagwant Mann. However, in major embarrassment for AAP, Arora, during his address, failed to name the late revolutionary who was hanged by the British when he was just 19. Sarabha was the idol of Bhagat Singh. During the address, a video of which went viral on social media, Arora: 'People are demanding that the market here should be named after Shaheed Sarabha Singh..' As he fails to recall the full name and looks at others for cue, he is corrected and told that the name is Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha. Arora says: 'I am sure CM saab will announce it soon and Sarabha's statue has already been ordered. It will be installed soon.' Launching a scathing attack on Mann and Arora, Congress's senior MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira wrote on X: 'I stand vindicated on my charge that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is a bunch of fake revolutionaries! Below AAP candidate for Ludhiana bypoll Sanjeev Arora doesn't know who Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha is! Leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann are only misusing the names of our martyrs and have nothing to do with their ideology.' Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) also launched an attack on Arora. 'In the presence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and the entire high command, Sanjeev Arora's disrespect towards Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha during his election campaign is extremely shameful and condemnable,' said Harjinder Singh Bobby Garcha, president, Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha Foundation and chief spokesperson, SAD. 'A candidate brought in by AAP from Gurgaon has insulted our martyr… Arora did not even remember the name of Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha. Someone who doesn't even know the names of our martyrs cannot safeguard their legacy. How can such a person work for the welfare of Punjab and Punjabi culture?,' said Garcha. He warned that if Arora does not apologize soon, the Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha Foundation will not only oppose the election campaign but will also stage a protest against him. Garcha stated that they want to inform the city residents and the people of the state that 'AAP has brought in outsiders who have no knowledge of Punjab's culture or martyrs, and they don't even understand our Punjabi heritage'. 'Instead, the Aam Aadmi Party has fielded candidates in Punjab's electoral arena who mock Punjab and Punjabi culture, and it is essential to expose their true nature,' said Garcha.
