Udham Singh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Sher Singh (1899-12-26)26 December 1899 |
| Died | 31 July 1940(1940-07-31) (aged 40) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names | Ram Mohammad Singh Azad, Ude |
| Occupation | Revolutionary |
| Organization(s) | Ghadar Party Hindustan Socialist Republican Association Indian Workers' Association |
| Known for | AssassinatingMichael O'Dwyer in retaliation for theJallianwala Bagh massacre |
| Movement | Indian independence movement |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Spouse | Lupe |
| Children | 2 sons |
| Conviction | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | Michael O'Dwyer, 75 |
| Signature | |
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Udham Singh (bornSher Singh; 26 December 1899 – 31 July 1940) was an Indian revolutionary belonging toGhadar Party andHSRA, best known for assassinatingMichael O'Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of thePunjab inIndia, on 13 March 1940. The assassination was done in revenge for theJallianwala Bagh massacre inAmritsar in 1919, for which O'Dwyer was responsible and of which Singh himself was a survivor.[1] Singh was subsequently tried and convicted of murder and hanged in July 1940. While in custody, he used the name 'Ram Mohammad Singh Azad', which represents the three major religions in India and his anti-colonial sentiment.[2]
Singh was a well-known figure of theIndian independence movement. He is also referred to asShaheed-i-Azam Sardar Udham Singh (the expression "Shaheed-i-Azam" means "the great martyr").[3] A district (Udham Singh Nagar) was named after him as a homage by theMayawati government in October 1995.[4]
Udham Singh was born Sher Singh into aSikh family on 26 December 1899 in the neighbourhood of Pilbad inSunam, around 130 miles south ofLahore,British India, to Tehal Singh, aKamboj, low-skilled low-paid manual labourer and his wife Narain Kaur.[5][6] He was their youngest, with a two-year difference between him and his elder brother, Sadhu.[5] When they were around age three and five respectively, their mother died.[5] The two boys subsequently stayed close to their father while he worked in the village ofNilowal carrying mud from a newly constructed canal, part ofPunjab Canal Colonies.[5] After being laid off he found work as a railway crossing watchman in the village of Upali.[5]
In October 1907, while taking his sons by foot to Amritsar, their father collapsed and died at Ram Bagh Hospital.[5] The two brothers were subsequently handed to an uncle who being unable to keep them, gave them to theCentral Khalsa Orphanage, where according to the orphanage register, they wereinitiated on 28 October.[5] Rebaptised, Sadhu became “Mukta”, meaning “one who has escaped re-incarnation”, and Sher Singh was renamed “Udham Singh”, Udham meaning “the upheaval”.[7] At the orphanage he was affectionately referred to as "Ude".[5] In 1917, Mukta died of an unknown sudden illness.[8]
Shortly thereafter, despite being below the official age of enrolment, Udham Singh persuaded authorities to allow him to serve in theBritish Indian Army during theFirst World War.[8] He was subsequently attached to the lowest ranking labour unit with the32nd Sikh Pioneers to work on restoration on the field railway from the coast up toBasra.[8] His young age and conflicts with authority led him to return to Punjab in less than six months.[8] In 1918, he rejoined the army and was despatched to Basra and thenBaghdad, where he carried out carpentry and general maintenance of machinery and vehicles, returning after a year to the orphanage in Amritsar in early 1919.[8]
On 10 April 1919, a number of local leaders allied to theIndian National Congress, includingSatyapal andSaifuddin Kitchlew, were arrested under the terms of theRowlatt Act. A military picket fired on a protesting crowd, precipitating a riot which saw numerous European-owned banks attacked and several Europeans attacked in the streets.[9] On 13 April, over twenty thousand unarmed people were assembled inJallianwala Bagh,Amritsar to celebrate the importantSikh festival ofBaisakhi, and to peacefully protest the arrests. Singh and his friends from the orphanage were serving water to the crowd.[10] Troops under the command of ColonelReginald Dyer opened fire on the crowd, killing several hundred; this became known variously as the Amritsar Massacre or theJallianwala Bagh massacre.[11]
Singh became involved inrevolutionary politics and was deeply influenced byBhagat Singh and his revolutionary group.[12] In 1924, Singh became involved with theGhadar Party, organising 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-di-Gunj" ("Voice of Revolt") were confiscated. He was prosecuted and sentenced to five years inprison.[citation needed]
Upon his release from prison in 1931, Singh's movements were under constant surveillance by thePunjab Police. He made his way toKashmir, where he was able to evade the police and escape to Germany. In 1934, he reached London, where he found employment. Privately, he formed plans to assassinate Michael O'Dwyer.[13][14] In Singh's diaries for 1939 and 1940, he occasionally misspellsO'Dwyer's surname as "O'Dyer", leaving a possibility he may have confused O'Dwyer withGeneral Dyer.[15] However,General Dyer had died in 1927, even before Udham Singh had planned the revenge. In England, Singh was affiliated to theIndian Workers' Association in Coventry and attended their meetings.[16]
On 13 March 1940,Michael O'Dwyer was scheduled to speak at a joint meeting of theEast India Association and theCentral Asian Society (nowRoyal Society for Asian Affairs) atCaxton Hall,London. Singh had entered the event with a ticket in his wife's name.[17] Singh concealed a revolver inside a book, which had pages cut in the shape of a revolver. This revolver was purchased by him from a soldier in a pub.[18] Then he entered the hall and found an empty 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 instantly.[15] Others wounded in the shooting were SirLouis Dane;Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland;[19] andCharles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington. Singh was arrested immediately after the shooting and the pistol (now in theCrime Museum) seized as evidence.[20]
Singh married a Mexican woman, Lupe Hernandez, in the 1920s, by whom he fathered two sons. In 1927 he left the United States, leaving Hernandez and their two sons behind. Many other Indian men in the Statestook Hispanic wives due to theJohnson-Reed (Immigration) Act of 1924, as they would otherwise have been expelled.[21][22] According to some of his relatives, Singh later took an English wife as well. It is not known if he had children with her too.[23]
On 1 April 1940, Singh was formally charged with the murder of Michael O'Dwyer, and remanded in custody atBrixton Prison. Initially asked to explain his motivations, Singh stated:
"I did it because I had a grudge against him. He deserved it. I don't belong to society or anything else. I don't care. I don't mind dying. What is the use of waiting until you get old? ... Is Zetland dead? He ought to be. I put two into him. I bought the revolver from a soldier in a public house. My parents died when I was three or four. Only one dead? I thought I could get more."[24]
While in custody, he called himselfRam Mohammad Singh Azad: the first three words of the name reflect the three major religious communities of Punjab (Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh); the last wordazad (literally "free") reflects his anti-colonial sentiment.[2]
While awaiting his trial, Singh went on a 42-dayhunger strike, before finally beingforce fed. On 4 June 1940, his trial commenced at theCentral Criminal Court, Old Bailey, before JusticeCyril Atkinson, withV.K. Krishna Menon andSt John Hutchinson representing him. G. B. McClure was the prosecuting barrister.[25] When asked about his motivation, Singh explained:
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.[26]
Singh was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. On 31 July 1940, Singh was hanged atPentonville Prison byAlbert Pierrepoint. His remains are preserved at the Jallianwala Bagh inAmritsar,Punjab. On every 31 July, marches are held inSunam (Singh's hometown) by various organisations and every statue of Singh in the city is paid tribute with flower garlands.
Following his conviction, he made a speech which the judge directed should not be released to the press.[18] However, political activists who had set up the Shaheed Udham Singh Trust and working with theIndian Workers Association (GB), ran a campaign to have the court record of his statement published along with other material.[25] This proved successful in 1996, when his speech was published along with three further files covering the trial, and theGhadar Directory, a document compiled by British intelligence in 1934 detailing 792 people regarded as a threat including Udham Singh.[25]
He started the speech with a denunciation ofBritish Imperialism:
At this point he was interrupted by the judge, but after some discussion he continued:
At this point, the judge refused to hear any more, but Singh continued:
He then thrust his glasses back into his pocket, and exclaimed three words in Hindustani and then shouted:
He turned to leave the dock, spitting across the solicitor's table.[25]
When this material was published, it was reported in both British and Asian press, the statement was translated intoGurmukhi script and distributed at the SikhVaisaki Festival in Birmingham, April 1997.[25]John Major, the Britishprime minister at that time, remarked: "The Amritsar Massacre was an unhappy episode in Indo-British relations which was controversial in both countries. Today [8 October 1996] I am glad to say, our relationship is excellent. India is an important partner and a close friend of this country."[25]
In its 18 March 1940 issue,Amrita Bazar Patrika wrote, "O'Dwyer's name is connected withPunjab incidents which India will never forget".[27] 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.[28] 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.[29]
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."[30]Bergeret from Rome praised Singh's action as courageous.[31]In March 1940,Indian National Congress leaderJawaharlal 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."[28]
In 1974, Singh's remains were exhumed and repatriated to India at the request ofMLASadhu Singh Thind and cremated in his home village of Sunam.[32] The casket was received byIndira Gandhi,Shankar Dayal Sharma andZail Singh.[33] On 2 August 1974 his ashes were divided into seven urns and distributed; one each toHaridwar,Kiratpur Sahib,Rauza Sharif, Sunam and the museum at Jallianwala Bagh, and two urns to the library of theShaheed Udham Singh Arts College in Sunam.[33]
| Udham Singh | |
|---|---|
 SARDAR UDHAM SINGH | |
| Type | Commemorative |
| Country of issue | India |
| Date of issue | 31 Jul 1992 |
| Face value | INR 1.00 |
In 1999, during the tercentenary of the creation of theKhalsa and the centenary of Singh's birth, he was posthumously awarded the "Nishan-e-Khalsa" by theAnandpur Sahib Foundation.[34]
When the faint mewling of his son finally reached his ears, Tehal Singh might have allowed himself a moment of relief but nothing more. He could barely feed his existing family, let alone this new mouth. His little one was blissfully unaware that his tiny wriggling body was saddled with an invisible burden from the moment he arrived in the world. Like his parents, he wasKhamboj, one of the lowest castes in India
According to general Sikh accounts, Udham Singh was born in Sunam in the Punjab's Sangrur district as Sher Singh into a Sikh family of theKambojh caste. In 1907 after the early deaths of his parents he and his brother were admitted into the Central Khalsa Orphanage by an uncle
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)Born again, Sher and Sadhu were given new names, Sadhu became Mukta, which means "one who escaped the cycle of reincarnation."Sher Singh becameUdham Singh. Whether the name was inspired by his behaviour, it would certainly prove to be prophetic. Udham translates into English as "the upheaval"
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link){{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)(subscription required)
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