They once said, ‘The Sun of the British Empire never sets’. Till 1925, many could actually say that. However, one event, just one event, led by home grown scholars cum wrestlers, shook the Empire with their act so hard, the event acted as a catalyst for the ultimate downfall of one of the most aristocratic (rather autocratic to be precise) of all Empires of the World, i.e. the British Empire. That glorious year when it happened was 1925, and the event was the raid of the Government exchequer at the Kakori, now famous as the Kakori Train Raid, not Robbery, as pseudo liberals and intellectual terrorists would love to say.
3 years into the disbanding of the rather successful Non Cooperation Movement, a movement was on the rise. Slowly but steadily, the movement, made up of disillusioned, right winged scholars, who were skilled in local sports like wrestling, kabaddi etc., as well, was gathering momentum, if not in the whole of the Indian peninsula, then at least in the northern and central India. This movement was an organization, none other than the famous Hindustan Republican Association.
This organization was led by ex Congress loyalist and famous Urdu litterateur, Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil, along with his best friend, and an accomplished Urdu poet, Ashfaqullah Khan Warsi, who wrote under the pen name ‘Hasrat’. Their illustrious team of revolutionaries, who were educated the Oriental (i.e. the native way), included Thakur Roshan Singh, a landlord cum revolutionary, who had snatched a .303 Rifle and shot back at the British policemen who were firing at the innocent satyagrahis, the famous Chandra Shekhar Azad, who had bore 15 lashes bravely without a moan, and teenage revolutionary Manmath Nath Gupta, who emulated the likes of Khudiram Bose as his role models.
As a prelude to their cause of direct action, they had released two pamphlets, a white papered, ‘The Revolutionary’, which was the manifesto of the Hindustan Republican Association, and ‘The Yellow Papers’, which enlisted the aims, objectives & resolutions of the same. The pamphlets were circulated incidentally on a Western festival, i.e. January 1, the Gregorian calendar’s New Year Day, throughout the nation. Naturally the British were perplexed, as to how an organization could whisk away with something like this. But their troubles, to be precise, had just begun.
The planning into Kakori Raid was based on chance and precision. Chance, because once Pandit Bismil was traveling by third class, in the No. 8 Down Train, a passenger mail that operated from Saharanpur to Lucknow, when he noticed at Shahjahanpur, that there were some trunks, which were loaded into the rear cargo hold of the train. On being asked what that was, he was informed of the contents: the trunks held the revenue earned by the British government by mercilessly exploiting Indians from the agriculture perspective. That was when an idea struck him, an idea that would not only relieve the HRA of its debts, but also accelerate the Independence movement, which was lying dormant. As rightly quoted in the movie, ‘Rang De Basanti’, :-
‘The Kakori Case of 1925 was from where it all started. Nothing ever remained the same after that.’
The plan was hotly discussed upon by the members of the HRA, and everybody unanimously agreed to this part, i.e. everybody, except for Ashfaq. However, Ashfaq, instead of refusal, had a warning, that if caught, not everyone would be that strong to keep the information to himself. However, when some over enthusiastic members questioned his commitment to the struggle, he readily joined the plan. In fact, it was Ashfaqullah Khan, who was one of the last ones to be arrested, much after the sentenced was passed on the rest accused.
Then came the glorious day, 9th of August, which was a Sunday as well. The 10 revolutionaries, who were chosen for this job were Pandit Bismil himself, Ashfaqullah Khan, Rajendra Nath Lahiri, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Keshab Chakravarthi, Murari Lal Sharma, Banwari Lal, Manmath Nath Gupta,Shachindra Nath Bakshi & Mukundi Lal.
While Chandra Shekhar Azad and Murari Sharma were placed above the train, Pandit Bismil, Manmath, Shachindra & Mukundi Lal boarded the third class compartments. Ashfaqullah Khan , Rajendra Nath Lahiri and the rest boarded the second class compartments, which were comparatively cleaner, and the chains worked more efficiently here. All boarded the train from Shahjahanpur, coincidentally the home town of Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil. Armed with revolvers, Mauser pistols etc., they were hell bent on shaking the British Empire from their foundations, and they did it.
At around 8 or 9 in the night (the time is still disputed), the chain was pulled by Ashfaq in the second class compartment, as the train had just passed Kakori station. All of the revolutionaries got down, brandishing their guns and asking the Indians to shut down their windows, assuring them that none of them will be harmed. Interestingly, there was a well armed platoon, led by a British army major traveling in the first class. But none of them stepped down at all. They feared that a huge horde of savages had attacked the train, whereas it was only 10 dudes who actually executed the plan.
Having successfully kept the passengers at bay, the group got hold of the trunk carrying the money of the Indians. However, the lock was strong and wasn’t easily breakable. It took a joint force of both Ashfaqullah and Chandra Shekhar Azad to break the same. Once broken open, the revolutionaries emptied the trunk and its contents into leather bags and gamchhas ( the cotton cloths villagers normally carry along) and sped off. However, in this hullabaloo, one member, Manmath, committed a blunder. In over enthusiasm, he shot the Mauser sideways, and it hit a passenger, Rahmat Ali, who had stepped down to look if his wife was okay. Initially he was reprimanded for the act and whisked off, but soon they would learn how the nonplussed British establishment would use this as a tool to hang some of their top brass to death.
In all, the revolutionaries had reclaimed around Rs. 8146 (approximately Rs. 815000 as of today). It went without saying, that the British were appalled on the way their booty was whisked off. A massive manhunt was launched for the revolutionaries, which began with Pandit Bismil’s arrest on 26th September 1925. Soon enough, over 46 people, most of whom were either HRA members or sympathized with their cause were arrested from all over India, and one of them was a radical journalist, who supported the revolutionaries’ cause under the pseudonyms of ‘Balwant Singh’ & Vidrohi. He later became known to the world as ‘Shaheed e Azam’, Bhagat Singh. After a sham of a trial, which was heavily pursued by the brother in law of Jawahar Lal Nehru, Jagat Narayan ‘Mulla’ as the prosecutor, the four main accused Pandit Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh, Rajendra and Ashfaq were sentenced to death, while others were imprisoned heavily, ranging from 4 years, to life imprisonment. The only ones, who weren’t arrested at all, were Chandra Shekhar Azad and Murari Lal Sharma.
I feel sad when such incidents, which accelerated the independence movement of our India, are callously ignored for those feats of Gandhi and Nehru, which actually never contributed to our independence at all.
Coincidentally, this was the same day when Quit India Movement was launched. But that stole all the limelight.
However, what it can never take away from the Kakori Raid, is the fact that this was the movement which reignited the flame of the revolution in India, lost somewhere after the cowardly withdrawal (I wouldn’t refrain from calling that)of Mahatma Gandhi in the Non Cooperation Movement.
It is to these heroes of Kakori that I pay the tribute. As once said by Ashfaq himself,
‘Kabhi Woh Din Bhi Aayega,
Ke Jab Hum Azad Honge,
Ye Apni Hi Zameen Hogi,
Ye Apna HI Aasmaan Hoga,
Shaheedon Ki Chitaaon Par Lagenge Har Baras Mele,
Watan Par Mitne Walon Ka, Baaki Yahi Nishan Hoga’
(There will be a day, when we are free,
It’ll be our land and it’ll be our skies
On the graves of the martyrs will there be fairs every year,
That shall be left of the ones who died for the nation)
Source:-
Chandra Shekhar A zad : An Immortal Revolutionary of In dia, by Bhawan Singh Rana