Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
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The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), known as the Hindustan Republican Association until 1928, was an Indian independence association led by revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Yogendra Shukla and Chandrasekar Azad. It was one of first socialist organizations in India and was inspired by the Bolsheviks involvement in the Russian Revolution of 1917.
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[edit] Initial actions
The association was established at a meeting in the village of Bholachang, Brahamabaria subdivision, East Bengal. Present at the founding meeting were Pratul Ganguly, Narendra Mohan Sen and Sachindra Nath Sanyal. It emerged as an offshoot of the Anushilan Samiti.[1] The aim of the party was to organize armed revolution to end the colonial rule and establish in a Federal Republic of the United States of India.[2]. The name was suggestive of a similar revolutionary body in Ireland.
Gandhi's cancellation of the Non-cooperation movement after the Chaura Chauri incident caused a lot of resentment to some youngsters, who had staked their careers for the movement. The initial members of HRA were such youngsters.
The Kakori train robbery was a notable act by this group. On 9 August 1925 the members of the group looted government money that was being transferred in a train. The Kakori case led to the hanging of Ashfaqullah Khan, Ramprasad Bismil, Roshan Singh, Rajendra Lahiri. The following arrests of its leaders was a major setback.
[edit] Later activities
The HRA's focus until 1928 had been to create the Federal Republic of the United States of India. However, later it was changed to create an India based on the Socialist ideals of Lenin and Marx. This was stated by Bhagat Singh on September 9, 1928 at the Ferozshah Kotla Ruins in Delhi. Therefore, the association was renamed from the Hindustan Republican Association to the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association.
[edit] Saunders' killing
The HSRA decided to stand along Lala Lajpat Rai in a non-violent protest procession against the Simon Commission at Lahore. During the protest, the officials launched a lathi-charge and the wounds inflicted on Lalaji proved to be fatal for him. Bhagat Singh, who had eye-witnessed this beating vowed to take revenge.
HSRA decided to shoot J A Scott, the officer who had ordered lathi-charge. The plan was to be executed by four revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Chander Shekhar Azad and Jai Gopal. It was planned that Jai Gopal was to give a signal to Bhagat Singh and Raj Guru as soon as Scott would come out of his office.
On 17 December 1928 in Lahore, at the appointed time, a British official stepped out of his office and rode on a motor cycle. At Jai Gopal's signal, Raj Guru fired on the British official with a pistol which pierced through his neck and almost killed him. At this Bhagat Singh virtually pounced upon him and fired four or five shots. The British official died on the spot. However, the killed officer was not Scott but J. P. Saunders, the A.S.P., a Youngman of 21 and yet a probationer. It was a miscalculation on the part of Jai Gopal who failed to distinguish between Scott and Saunders. Chanan Singh, a head constable who tried to chase Bhagat Singh and Raj Guru was shot dead by Azad.
The next day the HSRA came out and said in their proclamation: "Inquilab Zindabad (Long Live Revolution). We don't enjoy killing an individual, but this individual was ruthless, mean and part and parcel of an unjust system. It is necessary to destroy such a system. This man has been killed, because he was a cog in the wheel British rule. This government is the worst of all governments."
[edit] Assembly bombing
The next big major action that the HSRA carried out was the Assembly Bomb Case. The HSRA decided to explode a blank bomb in the Central Assembly in Delhi to protest against the tyrannical legislation, and arouse public opinion. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt volunteered to carry out the bombing and get arrested.
The ideology behind the bombing and getting arrested was to make the deaf government hear the voices of its oppressed peoples, however, it was also because Bhagat Singh primarily in the HSRA believed that the only way to successfully convey his message to the public of India was to propaganda from Court. He believed that since all statements were recorded in Court and then published they could gain support for their cause.
On April 8, 1929 when Vitthal Bhai Patel, President of the Central Assembly on failing to get an assurance from the government that the bill would not be enforced retrospectively, rose to give his ruling, a bomb exploded near the empty treasure benches. The hall got filled with smoke. Another explosion followed and terror prevailed everywhere. None got killed, because it was not so intended. As the smoke cleared Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt were seen shouting "Long Live Revolution, Down with Imperialism". They also threw red leaflets on the floor which began with the slogan of a French revolutionary "It needs a loud voice for a deaf to hear".
Eventually on April 15, 1929 police raided the HSRA's bomb factory in Lahore and arrested Kishori Lal, Sukhdev and Jai Gopal. The Assembly Bomb Case trial followed. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged in March 1931.
[edit] Later actions
Baikuntha Shukla, the great nationalist was hanged for murdering Phanindrananth Ghosh who had become a government approver which led to hanging of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. He was a nephew of Yogendra Shukla. Baikunth Shukla was also initiated into the freedom struggle at a young age taking active part in the 'Salt Satyagraha' of 1930. He was associated with revolutionary organisations like the Hindustan Seva Dal and Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. The execution of the great Indian revolutionaries Bhagat Singh,Rajguru and Sukhdev in 1931 as a result of their trial in the 'Lahore conspiracy case' was an event that shook the entire country. Phanindra Nath Ghosh, hitherto a key member of the Revolutionary Party had treacherously betrayed the cause by turning an approver, giving evidence, which led to the execution. Baikunth was commissioned to plan the execution of Ghosh as an act of ideological vendetta which he carried out successfully on 9th November 1932. He was arrested and tried for the killing. Baikunth was convicted and hanged in Gaya Central Jail on May 14th, 1934. He was only 28 years old.
On 27th February, 1931, Chandrasekar Azad was killed in a gunfight with the police.
It is unclear of the eventual fate of the Association, but the common understanding is that it disbanded with the death of Chandrasekar Azad and the hanging of its popular activists: Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru.
[edit] Significance
Inquilab Zindabad – two words that became the slogan of the Indian Revolutionary Movement, words that were first heard from Bhagat Singh. India’s Independence had many people/parties that fought the British Raj (rule); one such party was the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, it is possible to write an entire book and not be able to cover the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association’s History. However, the key aspect to be analyzed is to what extent did the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association influence Indian Independence. The method to analyze this is to first define the party’s origin and then the party’s action’s and the causes for those actions, then analyze the effect of those actions on the Independence movement and on other parties and their actions, and lastly to see the validity of sources used in this paper. The birth of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) was not on 9 September 1928 at the Ferozshah Kotla Ruins in Delhi, but instead the story starts long back. The story starts with the one person that was strictly against the views and actions of the HSRA, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who was later renamed Mahatma (Great Soul) Gandhi. In approximately 1910 when Mahatma Gandhi came to India from South Africa after practicing law for many years he joined the Indian National Congress a party that wanted to negotiate with the British to gain India independence. Gandhi joined the party and in 1920 led the nation-wide total non-cooperation movement (in Hindi aka Purna Asayog Andolan) in India, promising swaraj (self-governance) within one year to the Indian public. This movement was retaliation to the Amritsar Massacre (aka Jallianwala Bagh Massacre) and to the Rowlatt Acts that disregarded the notion of habeas corpus that was to be enforced on April 13, 1919. During this movement Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru and Chandrasekhar Azad were in their childhood years. Sources state that all of these later to become great revolutionaries were very active in the non-cooperation movement. However, the greatest effect on all of these revolutionaries was when the Non-cooperation movement was called off by Gandhi saying that India was not ready for independence. The reason for this action from Gandhi was the killings of 15 police officers by a mob in Chauri Chaura in February 1922. The following quote confirms this theory “In February 1922 the movement was sweeping the country when violence broke out in Chauri Chaura, a village in eastern India, causing Gandhi to call off mass non-cooperation demonstrations." (Coward 8) As stated in the Punjab Journal of Politics the effect of the movement cancellation was great because the movement had asked that no Indian cooperate with the British government, government employees resign their jobs, workers walk out of factories and children stop going to government schools. It also asked that nobody paid any taxes and burned all their imported textiles. After the movement was called off, many kids were left on the street with no schools accepting them and many workers were left unemployed with no factories to work at. Due to this cancellation, Bhagat Singh and many of his colleagues were caused to develop a strong dislike of Gandhi, the Indian National Congress and of non-cooperation. Therefore, when these kids became men they wanted to join a party that worked for independence in a separate way from Mahatma Gandhi’s ahimsa (non-violence). "The freedom struggle which had entered a mass phase began to falter and waver around 1922 when Gandhi called off the Civil Disobedience Movement. That caused a lot of resentment among the young men who had staked their careers by responding to the call of Swadeshi. After a lot of spade-work they resolved to organize themselves into Hindustan Socialist Republican Army under the command of Chander Shekhar Azad. This name was suggestive of a similar revolutionary body in Ireland. The units of H.S.R.A. were raised in all the provinces and the government got terrified by their activities." (Singh 138) They discovered the Hindustan Republican Association at that point; the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) consisted of older revolutionaries such as Ashfaqullah Khan, Ram Prasad Bismil, Roshan Singh and Rajendra Lahiri. The HRA had been formed from the people that resented Gandhi for canceling the Total Non-Cooperation Movement “People were disenchanted with Gandhism; Revolutionary young men again became active; they set up a secret organisation called the HRA and declared that the aim of this party was to establish united republic through an organised and armed revolution." (Rahbar 65) However, at about the same time as Bhagat Singh joined the HRA Ashfaqullah Khan, Ramprasad Bismil, Roshan Singh and Rajendra Lahiri were all hanged in the Kakori Train Robbery Case. This allowed Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev to become the prominent members of the party along with many others. The HRA’s focus until that point had been to create the Federal Republic of the United States of India, however after this it was changed to create an India based on the Socialist ideals of Lenin and Marx and therefore it was renamed from the Hindustan Republican Association to the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. The members of the HSRA believed that party goal was not only to Free India but instead it was the creation of a nation. This was stated by Bhagat Singh on 9 September 1928 at the Ferozshah Kotla Ruins in Delhi, this is also, where the party was renamed from HRA to HSRA. As J.S. Dhankhar states in his book “The formation of Hindustan Republican Association in 1924, which was later in September, 1928 renamed as Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (due to changed goals and ideology) was a landmark in the history of revolutionary movement in India. For the first time the revolutionaries organized themselves on all-India basis and according to a well-defined constitution. The objects of the Association were to establish a Socialist Republic of the United States of India by an organized and armed revolution. The final form of the constitution of the Republic was to be framed and declared by the representatives of the people at a time when they would be in a position to enforce their decisions. The basic principal of the Republic was to be universal suffrage and the abolition of all systems which make any kind of exploitation of man by man possible.” (Dhankhar 28) Bhagat Singh had called a meeting of revolutionaries from all over India and there he asked them what freedom was. He stated that freedom did not mean that power left the hands of the British and was transferred to a handful of rich and powerful Indians; he stated that if this was to happen no change would occur in the life of the common person. He proclaimed that independence was the first step toward the goal of creating a nation that guaranteed rights to all in society, a society that did not discriminate on basis of religion, a nation that did not tolerate the exploitation of man-by-man. Therefore, he asked that one this goal be clearly demonstrated in the name of their party, which led to the renaming of the HRA to the HSRA. He also asked that people understand that before taking any action or the result would be a free India but a corrupt, exploitative and communalized society. Their first action as the HSRA was to be against the SIMON commission that consisted of all white members. The outrage was caused because the commission was assigned the matter of deciding India’s future and yet it did not contain one single Indian member. The HSRA in their first fight decided to stand along Lala Lajpat Rai in a non-violent protest. “In this regard, it was decided to participate in the protest procession to be led by Lala Lajpat Rai on the eve of the arrival of Simon Commission at Lahore. Jaidev Gupta reminisced that, ‘At first, Lala Lajpat Rai did not agree, but when he was told that persons of all shades and opinions, from parties like Hindu Mahasabha, Naujawan Bharat Sabha, and Congress would be in the procession, he agreed’.” (Dhankhar 40) However, unfortunately during the protest the officials launched a lathi-charge and the wounds inflicted on Lalaji proved to be fatal for him. The wounds had been caused by beating from several young police officials, among who was Senior Superintendent of police JA Scott. Bhagat Singh eye witnessed this beating and upon Lalaji’s Death he vowed to take revenge. “Durga Das Khanna, one of the participants in the procession, remisced thus, ‘…..I also participated in that procession and was very near to Lalaji….a police officer, probably J.A. Scott, S.S.P., Lahore, took it into his head to teach a lesson to the processionists and ordered a wild lathi charge. He himself, in my presence, hurled cane blows at Lalaji’s Chest….The injuries received by Lalaji in the chest besides having physical effect caused a deep psychological unrest in his mind. He wondered if a man of his stature could be so brutally and casually treated, what would be the fate of lesser people. As a result of the injuries reveived and mental shock they gave him, Lalaji died on 17th November, 1928….’” (Dhankhar 41) Bhagat Singh and this HSRA decided to shoot Scott for revenge; the plan was to be executed by four revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Chander Shekhar Azad and Jai Gopal. J.S. Dhankhar states “It was planned that Jai Gopal was to give a signal to Bhagat Singh and Raj Guru as soon as Scott would come out of his office. The whole plan, well-discussed earlier, was to be executed meticulously by these four revolutionaries. At the appointed time a British official stepped out of his office and rode on a motor cycle. At once, the signal was given by Jai Gopal to Raj Guru and Bhagat Singh who were anxiously waiting for the opportunity. At first Raj Guru ‘fired on the British official with a pistol which pierced through his neck and almost killed him. At this Bhagat Singh virtually pounced upon him and fired four or five shots. The British official died on the spot. He was not Scott but J.P. Saunders, the A.S.P., a Youngman of 21 and yet a probationer. It was a miscalculation on the part of Jai Gopal who failed to distinguish between Scott and Saunders.” (Dhankhar 43) After the shooting both Bhagat Singh and Rajguru were chased by Chanan Singh, head constable, who was then shot by Azad and died. The next day the HSRA came out and said in their proclamation “Long Live Revolution (Inquilab Zindabad) we don’t enjoy killing on individual, but this individual was ruthless, mean and part and parcel of an unjust system. It is necessary to destroy such a system. This man has been killed, because he was a cog in the wheel British rule. This government is the worst of all governments.” (Dhankhar 44) As J.S. Dhankhar states “This action (murder of Saunders) of HSRA backed by such an ideology shook the British imperialism to its very roots and thrilled the people of India. It was another deadly blow on the beefy face of imperialism. That the chief of police was murdered in front of the police headquarters, while policemen looked on and the assailants escaped, was a blot on the whole system and put the question mark on the future of British Empire.” (Dhankhar 45) This act was not looked upon as an act of terrorism but was called the best method to vindicate the honor of Lala Lajpat Rai. As J.N. Sanyal’s quotes Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in his book "'Bhagat Singh, thus did not become popular because of his act of terrorism, but because he seemed to vindicate for the moment, the hounour of Lala Lajpat Rai, and through him of the nation. He became a SYMBOL, the act was forgotten, the symbol remained, and with in a few monthseach town and village of the Punjab, and to a lesser extent in the rest of the northern India, resounded with his name, Innumerable songs grew up about him, and the popularity the man achieved was something amazing.' - Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru" (Sanyal i) Instantly Lahore police was hunting for the three shooters, they declared that since it was confirmed that one of the attackers was Sikh and therefore wore a turban religiously (Bhagat Singh), all men that did were to be interrogated and as JN Sanyal states that if anybody ran they were to be shot fatally immediately. Bhagat Singh, Chander Shekhar Azad, Rajguru still managed to escape from Lahore, nevertheless. The next big major action that the HSRA carried out was the Assembly Bomb Case, in which Bhagat Singh and his comrades exploded two bombs in the Assembly Hall at Delhi. As Hazara Singh writes in his book "The Hindustan Socialist Republican Army considered it the most opportune time to arouse public opinion. It was decided to explode a blank bomb in the Central Assembly to protest against the tyrannical legislation. Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt volunteered to do it. On 8 April 1929 when Vithal Bhai Patel, President of the Central Assembly on failing to get an assurance from the government that the bill would not be enforced retrospectively, rose to give his ruling, a bomb exploded near the empty treasure benches. The hall got filled with smoke. Another explosion followed and terror prevailed everywhere. None got killed, because it was not so intended. As the smoke cleared Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt were seen shouting 'Long Live Revolution, Down with Imperialism'. They also threw red leaflets on the floor which began with the slogan of a French revolutionary 'It needs a loud voice for a deaf to hear'" (Singh 139) The ideology behind the bombing as Singh states was to make the deaf government hear the voices of its oppressed peoples, however, it was also because Bhagat Singh primarily in the HSRA believed that the only way to successfully convey his message to the public of India was to propaganda from Court. He believed that since all statements were recorded in Court and then published they could gain support for their cause. This was the reason that Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt got themselves arrested right after throwing the bombs in Assembly Hall on April 8, 1929. Eventually on April 15, 1929 police raided the HSRA’s bomb factory in Lahore and arrested Kishori Lal, Sukhdev and Jai Gopal. The overall effect of the HSRA’s actions on the Independence movement was to a great affect. The party’s actions allowed Bhagat Singh who was one of the primary members of the party to rise high in public opinion. The overall effect on the Independence movement was in the sense that it caused British officials to start tyrannizing the public to a greater extent then it had already been doing. This was because the British were mortally afraid of the revolutionaries as “an officer of Central Intelligence department, Dharmendra Gaur, Assistant Central Intelligence officer-I writes, ‘I have plunged deep into the records of the intelligence department, and I say with knowledge that the British were not in the least afraid of Congressmen. If at all they were afraid, they feared the revolutionaries.’” (Dhankhar 72) The actions of the HSRA started scaring the Imperialist British Government since it was now clear that the revolutionary movement in this phase was now better organized and more dangerous than any before it. The Lahore Conspiracy Case slowly became a scandal wide to the public. The greatest of all these effects was perhaps the fact that the activities of the HSRA played an essential role in accelerating the pace of the freedom struggle. This began with the murder of Saunders in and in the end concluded with the achievement of Independence in 1947. This can best be shown in the following quote "'Bhagat Singh and his companions are bound to provide the test for many fiery sermons in the days to come.' - British Intelligence officials (in their report, dated 26th March, 1931). “(Sanyal i) or perhaps in the theory that is widely accepted that Bhagat in his day “for a time he bade far to oust Mr. Gandhi as the foremost - - - - political figure of the day.' - British Parliamentary Papers" (Sanyal ii) The Indian National Congress had been around since 1885, it had gone on petitioning and passing resolutions and cooperating in civil means with the British Government and try to force out a compromise with the Government. The INC for example gave active assistance and cooperation to the British government during World War I however, what was it that Mahatma Gandhi received in return it was the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Mahatma Gandhi then request that the nation join him in the Total Non-Cooperation Movement, he promised them freedom within a year, yet again the movement failed not only in gaining independence but freedom was far from the result India was in fetters. The whole country was left in darkness and frustration. As Lord Irwin once states about Mahatma Gandhi and the decision to call off the Total Non-Cooperation Movement "He would in truth be a false friend of India who did not do his utmost to protect her from acquiescence in principles so fundamentally destructive." (Irwin 93) The decision there was completely wrong and misjudged by the great Indian Leader. Moreover, in comparison to the actions and the effects of those action of the HSRA when Bhagat Singh and his comrades disagreed with Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress in its demand for Dominion Status the Imperialist British Government was shook and surprised to the call of the Indian National Congress to purna swaraj (self-rule). Therefore the activities of the HSRA not only influenced the Indian Independence Movement directly but also influenced the movement indirectly by causing Mahatma Gandhi and his party to take certain actions and to have a change in their party goals. This is shown very clearly in the quote "The activities of the HSRA influenced the stand of Indian National Congress greatly, It gave up its demand of 'Dominion Status' for India within the Empire and declared complete independence of India as its ultimate goal in its session held at Lahore on 26 January 1929. It also adopted in due course the slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad', which Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt had raised in the Central Assembly. The slogans 'Vande Mataram', 'Inquilab Zindabad' and 'Jai hind' which symbolize the various phases of our struggle for freedom illustrate by themselves the role of militant nationalists and HSRA in the crusade against imperialism." (Singh 143) Therefore the convulsions created by the HSRA and later the civil disobedience movement of 1930-32 created the way for the passage of the Government of India Act 1935. Therefore however directly or indirectly, the HSRA had and effect on the Civil Disobedience Movement which was therefore in turn itself the result of activities of the HSRA. This is shown in “The activities of these daring youths of HSRA led to the launching of civil disobedience movement in 1930 by Gandhiji and the Indian National Congress. Mahatma Gandhi himself accepts this in his letter to Lord Irwin (March 2, 1930), ‘The party of violence is gaining ground and making itself felt…. It is my purpose to set in motion that force (non-violence) as well against rule as the organized violent force of the British rule as the unorganized violence force of the growing party of violence. To sit still would be to give rein to both the forces above mentioned.’” (Dhankhar 71) One must consider however, analyzing their sources while writing a history paper. Throughout the course of this paper I have used multiple sources. The sources that are primary in this study are the Manifesto and Publication of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha and the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, however in this category are also included the speeches by Lord Irwin and the quotes from the British Parliamentary Papers and the British Intelligence Reports along with the letter of Mahatma Gandhi. Also include in this group is the book by Mr. JN Sanyal since he was one of the political figures in that day. These sources are of utmost political and historical value since they describe and evidence the true nature of the beliefs of those individuals, however, again they might be significantly biased in their course of revealing historical interpretations. The key secondary sources that were used in this study were the book from JS Dhankhar, The Punjab Journal of Politics article by Hazara Singh, and the book by Mr. Rahbar. These sources were all published after the demise of British Rule in India therefore had access to some sources released after August 15, 1947. These sources however, in their study are limited in the sense that they are merely basing their argument and their conclusion on primary sources which could be well flawed due to lack of access to resources. In conclusion, the Indian Independence is not a result of only non-violent means; there were many key factors that contributed to that achievement, in which the HSRA contributed to a great extent, through its actions that caused the Indian National Congress, to react in order to stop the violent means of both the HSRA and of the imperialist British government. The HSRA indirectly, influenced the civil-disobedience movement which then influenced the Government of India Act 1935. Thus I have successfully analyzed this by first defining the party’s origin and then the party’s action’s and the causes for those actions, then analyze the effect of those actions on the Independence movement and on other parties and their actions, and lastly I have seen the validated of sources used in this paper.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Saha, Murari Mohan (ed.), Documents of the Revolutionary Socialist Party: Volume One 1938-1947. Agartala: Lokayata Chetana Bikash Society, 2001. p. 16-17
- ^ Gateway of India article
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