Kakori train robbery
Encyclopedia
The Kakori train robbery (also called the Kakori Conspiracy or Kakori Case) was a train robbery
that took place between Kakori
and Alamnagar near Lucknow
, on 9 August 1925 during the Indian Independence Movement
against the British
.German-made Mauser C96
semi-automatic pistols with wooden stock were used in this historical event by the Hindustan Republican Association activists.
The Conspiracy :
The idea of the robbery was conceived by Ram Prasad Bismil
and Ashfaqullah Khan who belonged to the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA, which after 1928 became the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association or HSRA) that was created to carry out revolutionary
activities against the British Empire in India
. The objective of the HRA was to conduct an armed revolution against the British government. The organization needed money for the supply of weapon
ry, and thus Bismil decided to loot a train on one of the Northern Railway lines. The robbery plan was executed by Ram Prasad Bismil
, Ashfaqulla Khan
, Rajendra Lahiri
, Chandrasekhar Azad
, Sachindra Bakshi
, Keshab Chakravarthy
, Manmathnath Gupta, Murari Sharma
(fake name of Murari Lal Gupta), Mukundi Lal (Mukundi Lal Gupta) and Banwari Lal
.
to Lucknow
was approaching the town of Kakori (now in Uttar Pradesh
), when one of the revolutionaries pulled the chain to stop the train and overpowered the guard. It is believed that they looted that specific train because the train was supposed to carry the money-bags belonging to the British Government Treasury in the guard's cabin. They looted only these bags and escaped to Lucknow while not a single Indian was looted, because the targets of the mission were
(1). To get money for the organization which was intended to get it from the opponent British Administration itself.
(2). To get some public attention by creatng positive image of HRA among Indians,so as to come over the bad image of Dacoits which was created by British Administration.
(3). To shake the British Administration by taking away money from them.
Following the incident, started an intense manhunt
and arrested several of the revolutionaries involved in the HRA. Their group capton Ram Prasad Bismil
was arrested at Shahjahanpur
on September 26, 1925 and his lieutenant Ashfaqullah Khan was arrested ten months later at Delhi
.
. Their names with the place of arrest are:
Amongst the above persons, three viz. Shachindra Nath Sanyal, Rajendra Lahiri
and Yogesh Chandra Chatterji had already been arrested in Bengal
. Lahiri was prosecuted even in a Dakshineshwar bomb blast case whereas the two viz. Ashfaqullah Khan and Sachindra Bakshi
were arrested later when the main Kakori Conspiracy Case was over. A supplimentary case was filed against these two and they were procecuted in the same manner.
Among these five only two viz. Ashfaqullah Khan and Sachindra Bakhshi were arrested after the trial was final and the verdict was given. Rest of the three could not be traced out. Only one of these three, Chandrasekhar Azad reorganised the HRA in 1928 and was killed on 27 Feb 1931 at Alfred Park Allahabad
.
Keshab Chakravarthy was involved in the action with a fake name hence he could not be arrested. Since the police had arrested Thakur Roshan Singh- a member similar to the age of Chakravarthy on the ground of sound witnesses, they did not bother for the arrest of others two involved with a fake name. Keshab formed RSS at Nagpur
with the help of some school going children. He was known as Keshav Baliram Hedgewar who died on 21-06-1940 at Resham Bagh, Nagpur. Likewise Murari Sharma
was also a fake name. He lived underground in Delhi
and when the case was decided, he came back to his native village Mudia Panwar of Shahjahanpur
district. Later on he settled at Shahjahanpur City and lived there until his death. He died on 02-04-1982.
, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee
and Rajendra Nath Lahiri were dragged in the trial from Bengal
as they had already been held there.
Court appointed Pandit Jagat Narayan Mulla as public prosecutor knowingly, because Jagat Narayan was prejudice to Ram Prasad Bismil
since 1916 when Bismil leaded the grand procession of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak
against his will at Lucknow
. He had also been the public procecutor in Mainpuri
conspiracy case of 1918.
Pt. Jagat Narayan Mulla pleaded the case as public prosecutor on behalf of the Government whereas Ram Prasad Bismil defended his case himself.
in the court of Special Sessions Judge J.R.W. Bennett. An appeal was filed in the then Chief Court of Oudh (now in U.P.) on 18 July 1927.
Despite protests by the defence committee, which was chaired by Gobind Ballabh Pant, four of the total accused, namely Ram Prasad Bismil
, Ashfaqullah Khan, Rajendra Nath Lahiri and Roshan Singh
were sentenced to death
by the Court of Justice. 16 others were either given life sentences or long prison terms varying from 3 years to 14 years.
Banwari Lal
, who became approver was also sentenced for 2 years
of Bismil Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna
was very much popular amongst all freedom fighters. They used to sing it in a chorus while proceeding to the court for trial. British
Government has banned it totally to be published in any of the leading newspapers but small papers continued its publishing. Its English
translation is reproduced hereunder along with the original Urdu
ghazal in Devnagri script.
. They were asked to put off their clothes and wear the jail dress like other prisoners. All the accused protested this jail order and started hunger strikes on the first day. Their plea was quite genuine. They argued that since the all have been charged to overturn the British rule and have been punished under section 120(B) and 121(A) hence they should be treated as political prisoners and provided the same facilities in the jails.
The details of their hunger strike are given hereunder:
and brother in law of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
refused to take up the defence of the arrested revolutionaries. He was appointed as Public Prosecutor by the law of Court.
Among the political figures who came out in support of those arrested for the Kakori train robbery were: Motilal Nehru
, Madan Mohan Malviya, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
, Lala Lajpat Rai
, Jawaharlal Nehru
, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi
, Shiv Prasad Gupta
, Shri Prakash and Acharya Narendra Dev.
wrote a letter to Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya on 9 September 1927 from Gorakhpur Jail. Malviya sent a memorandum to the then Viceroy and Governor General of India Edward Fredrick Lindley Wood
with the signatures of 78 Members of Central Legislature, which was also turned down.
On 16 September 1927 the final mercy appeal was forwarded to Privy Council at London and to the King Emperor through a famous lawyer of England S.L. Polak but the British Government, who had already decided to hang them, sent their final decision to the India office of Viceroy that all the four condemned prisoners are to be hanged till death by 19 December 1927 positively
Train robbery
Train robbery is a type of robbery, in which the goal is to steal money or other valuables being carried aboard trains.-History:Train robberies were more common in the past than today, and often occurred in the American Old West. Trains carrying payroll shipments were a major target...
that took place between Kakori
Kakori
Kakori is a town and a nagar panchayat in Lucknow district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated 14 km north of Lucknow. More widely known for its kebabs, Zardozi work and Dasheri mangoes, Kakori is also the centre of once flourishing Urdu poetry, literature and the Qadiriya...
and Alamnagar near Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, on 9 August 1925 during the Indian Independence Movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
against the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.German-made Mauser C96
Mauser C96
The Mauser C96 is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937...
semi-automatic pistols with wooden stock were used in this historical event by the Hindustan Republican Association activists.
The Conspiracy :
The idea of the robbery was conceived by Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil (Hindi: राम प्रसाद 'बिस्मिल', Gujarati: રામપ્રસાદ બિસ્મિલ, (Malayalam: രാം പ്രസാദ് ബിസ്മിൽ, Tamil: ராம் பிரசாத் பிஸ்மில், Born: 11 June 1897, Executed: 19 December 1927) was an Indian revolutionary who participated in Mainpuri Shadyantra of...
and Ashfaqullah Khan who belonged to the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA, which after 1928 became the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association or HSRA) that was created to carry out revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
activities against the British Empire in India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. The objective of the HRA was to conduct an armed revolution against the British government. The organization needed money for the supply of weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
ry, and thus Bismil decided to loot a train on one of the Northern Railway lines. The robbery plan was executed by Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil (Hindi: राम प्रसाद 'बिस्मिल', Gujarati: રામપ્રસાદ બિસ્મિલ, (Malayalam: രാം പ്രസാദ് ബിസ്മിൽ, Tamil: ராம் பிரசாத் பிஸ்மில், Born: 11 June 1897, Executed: 19 December 1927) was an Indian revolutionary who participated in Mainpuri Shadyantra of...
, Ashfaqulla Khan
Ashfaqulla Khan
Ashfaqulla Khan was a Muslim freedom fighter in the Indian independence movement who had given away his life along with Ram Prasad Bismil. Bismil and Ashfaq, both were good friends and Urdu poets...
, Rajendra Lahiri
Rajendra Lahiri
Rajendra Lahiri , also known as Rajendra Nath Lahiri,, was a Bengali Hindu Brahmin revolutionary, who participated in various revolutionary activities of the Hindustan Republican Association aimed at ousting the British forever from India.-Brief life sketch:Rajendra Lahiri was born on 23 Jun 1901...
, Chandrasekhar Azad
Chandrasekhar Azad
Chandra Shekhar Azad , was one of the most important Indian revolutionaries who reorganised the Hindustan...
, Sachindra Bakshi
Sachindra Bakshi
Shachindra Nath Bakshi was a prominent Indian revolutionary belonging to Hindustan Republican Association that was created to carry out revolutionary activities against the British...
, Keshab Chakravarthy
Keshab Chakravarthy
Keshab Chakravarthy was a prominent Indian revolutionary belonging to Hindustan Republican Association that was created to carry out revolutionary activities against the British Empire in India. He was no other but Keshav Hedgewar who had gone to Calcutta in 1910 to pursue his medical studies...
, Manmathnath Gupta, Murari Sharma
Murari Sharma
Murari Sharma was a revolutionary who took part in the Kakori Conspiracy and absconded away. Police could not trace him out as Murari Sharma was his fake name. His actual name was Murarilal Gupta. He was born on 1 January 1901 to Chhotelal Gupta a khandsari Murari Sharma (Hindi:मुरारीलाल,...
(fake name of Murari Lal Gupta), Mukundi Lal (Mukundi Lal Gupta) and Banwari Lal
Banwari Lal
Banwari Lal was a prominent Indian revolutionary who became an Approver in the historical Kakori conspiracy case of 1925.He hailed from Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh....
.
The Robbery
On August 9, 1925, the Number 8 Down Train travelling from ShahjahanpurShahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur is a municipal board, town and district headquarters of Shahjahanpur District in Uttar Pradesh, India.-History:During the reign of Shahjahan, Mughal forces demolished the city of Kant...
to Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
was approaching the town of Kakori (now in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
), when one of the revolutionaries pulled the chain to stop the train and overpowered the guard. It is believed that they looted that specific train because the train was supposed to carry the money-bags belonging to the British Government Treasury in the guard's cabin. They looted only these bags and escaped to Lucknow while not a single Indian was looted, because the targets of the mission were
(1). To get money for the organization which was intended to get it from the opponent British Administration itself.
(2). To get some public attention by creatng positive image of HRA among Indians,so as to come over the bad image of Dacoits which was created by British Administration.
(3). To shake the British Administration by taking away money from them.
Following the incident, started an intense manhunt
Manhunt (law enforcement)
In law enforcement, a manhunt is a search for a dangerous fugitive involving the use of all available police units and technology and sometimes help from the public....
and arrested several of the revolutionaries involved in the HRA. Their group capton Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil (Hindi: राम प्रसाद 'बिस्मिल', Gujarati: રામપ્રસાદ બિસ્મિલ, (Malayalam: രാം പ്രസാദ് ബിസ്മിൽ, Tamil: ராம் பிரசாத் பிஸ்மில், Born: 11 June 1897, Executed: 19 December 1927) was an Indian revolutionary who participated in Mainpuri Shadyantra of...
was arrested at Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur is a municipal board, town and district headquarters of Shahjahanpur District in Uttar Pradesh, India.-History:During the reign of Shahjahan, Mughal forces demolished the city of Kant...
on September 26, 1925 and his lieutenant Ashfaqullah Khan was arrested ten months later at Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.
Persons Arrested
In this historical case 40 persons were arrested from all over IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Their names with the place of arrest are:
- From AgraAgraAgra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
- Chandra Dhar Jauhari
- Chandra Bhal Jauhari
- From AllahabadAllahabadAllahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
- From Allahabad
- Shitala Sahai
- Jyoti Shankar Dixit
- Bhupendra Nath Sanyal
- From Banaras
- Manmathnath Gupta
- Damodar Swarup Seth
- Ram Nath Pandey
- Dev Datt Bhattacharya
- Indra Vikram Singh
- Mukundi Lal
- From BengalBengalBengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
- From Bengal
- Shachindra Nath Sanyal
- Yogesh Chandra Chatterjii
- Rajendra Lahiri
- Sharat Chandra Guha
- Kali Das Bose
- From EtahEtahEtah is a town which is also the district headquarters of Etah district of Uttar Pradesh state, India.-Geography:Etah is located at . It has an average elevation of 170 metres ....
- From Etah
- Babu Ram Verma
- From HardoiHardoiHardoi is a city and a municipal board in Hardoi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Hardoi District.-Geography:Hardoi is located at...
- From Hardoi
- Bhairon Singh
- From Kanpur
- Ram Dulare Trivedi
- Gopi Mohan
- Raj Kumar Sinha
- Suresh Chandra Bhattacharya
- From LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
- From Lahore
- Mohan Lal Gautam
- From Lakhimpur
- Harnam Sundarlal
- From LucknowLucknowLucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
- From Lucknow
- Govind Charan Kar
- Shachindra Nath Vishvas
- From Mathura
- Shiv Charan Lal Sharma
- From Meerut
- Vishnu Sharan Dublish
- From OraiOraiOrai is a city and a municipal board in Jalaun district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the district headquarter for Jalaun District which is part of Jhansi division....
- From Orai
- Veer Bhadra Tiwari
- From Poona
- Ram Krishna Khatri
- From Raibareli
- Banwari Lal
- From ShahjahanpurShahjahanpurShahjahanpur is a municipal board, town and district headquarters of Shahjahanpur District in Uttar Pradesh, India.-History:During the reign of Shahjahan, Mughal forces demolished the city of Kant...
- From Shahjahanpur
- Ram Prasad Bismil
- Banarsi Lal
- Lala Har Govind
- Prem Krishna Khanna
- Indubhushan Mitra
- Thakur Roshan Singh
- Ram Dutt Shukla
- Madan Lal
- Ram Ratna Shukla
- From DelhiDelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
- From Delhi
- Ashfaqulla Khan
- From PratapgarhPratapgarhPratapgarh may refer to the following places in India:Cities and towns:* Pratapgarh, Rajasthan* Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh* Pratapgarh, TripuraDistricts:* Pratapgarh district * Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh...
- From Pratapgarh
- Shachindra Bakshi
Amongst the above persons, three viz. Shachindra Nath Sanyal, Rajendra Lahiri
Rajendra Lahiri
Rajendra Lahiri , also known as Rajendra Nath Lahiri,, was a Bengali Hindu Brahmin revolutionary, who participated in various revolutionary activities of the Hindustan Republican Association aimed at ousting the British forever from India.-Brief life sketch:Rajendra Lahiri was born on 23 Jun 1901...
and Yogesh Chandra Chatterji had already been arrested in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. Lahiri was prosecuted even in a Dakshineshwar bomb blast case whereas the two viz. Ashfaqullah Khan and Sachindra Bakshi
Sachindra Bakshi
Shachindra Nath Bakshi was a prominent Indian revolutionary belonging to Hindustan Republican Association that was created to carry out revolutionary activities against the British...
were arrested later when the main Kakori Conspiracy Case was over. A supplimentary case was filed against these two and they were procecuted in the same manner.
Kakori trial
A case was filed against Ram Prasad Bismil and others under the following criminal prosecution: 1.U/S 121 (War against British King Emperor), 2.U/S 120 (Political Conspiracy), 3.U/S 396 (Robbery and Murder) & 4.U/S 302 (Murder). This trial was termed as Kakori conspiracy in the history and the case was named as "King Emperor versus Ram Prasad Bismil and others".Persons released before trial
The government had withdrawn the case against 15 persons as the police could not collects any witness to prove them guilty. The name of these persons are: 1.Shitala Sahai, 2.Chandra Dhar Jauhari, 3.Madan Lal, 4.Ram Ratna Shukla, 5.Mohan Lal Gautam, 6.Chandra Bhal Jauhari, 7.Harnam Sunder Lal, 8.Dev Dutt Bhattacharya, 9.Ram Dutt Shukla, 10.Babu Ram Verma, 11.Gopi Mohan, 12.Sharat Chandra Guha, 13.Bhairon Singh, 14.Kali Das Bose and 15.Indra Vikram Singh.Persons absconded
Out of ten persons who took part in the action (fake name of robbery in their language), five absconded. They were: 1. Ashfaqullah Khan, 2. Chandrasekhar Azad, 3. Shachindra Bakshi, 4. Murari Sharma (fake name) and 5. Keshab Chakravarthy (fake name). Police could not trace them till the start of trial.Among these five only two viz. Ashfaqullah Khan and Sachindra Bakhshi were arrested after the trial was final and the verdict was given. Rest of the three could not be traced out. Only one of these three, Chandrasekhar Azad reorganised the HRA in 1928 and was killed on 27 Feb 1931 at Alfred Park Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
.
Keshab Chakravarthy was involved in the action with a fake name hence he could not be arrested. Since the police had arrested Thakur Roshan Singh- a member similar to the age of Chakravarthy on the ground of sound witnesses, they did not bother for the arrest of others two involved with a fake name. Keshab formed RSS at Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
with the help of some school going children. He was known as Keshav Baliram Hedgewar who died on 21-06-1940 at Resham Bagh, Nagpur. Likewise Murari Sharma
Murari Sharma
Murari Sharma was a revolutionary who took part in the Kakori Conspiracy and absconded away. Police could not trace him out as Murari Sharma was his fake name. His actual name was Murarilal Gupta. He was born on 1 January 1901 to Chhotelal Gupta a khandsari Murari Sharma (Hindi:मुरारीलाल,...
was also a fake name. He lived underground in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and when the case was decided, he came back to his native village Mudia Panwar of Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur is a municipal board, town and district headquarters of Shahjahanpur District in Uttar Pradesh, India.-History:During the reign of Shahjahan, Mughal forces demolished the city of Kant...
district. Later on he settled at Shahjahanpur City and lived there until his death. He died on 02-04-1982.
Case withdrawn
After filing the charge sheet against the accused, the session court played diplomatically game and the case was withdrawn against the three accused by the Special Magistrate. They were: 1.Veer Bhadra Tiwari, 2.Jyoti Shankar Dixit and 3.Shiv Charan Lal Sharma. It was suspected that these three had given some secret clues to the Special Magistrate Mr. Ainuddin. Another accused Damodar Swarup Seth was also released due to his severe illness.Approvers who helped the court
Among the persons arrested from Shahjahanpur, Banarsi Lal and Indu Bhushan Mitra became approvers. They helped the court in prosecuting the main accused Ram Prasad Bismil. Likewise Banwari Lal who was the District Organiser of Raibareli also helped police and court in getting the case strong against accused. For this he was given privilege of the simple sentence of two years only.Session court's procesure
After the withdrawal of the case against 15 accused and fixing the approvers by Special Magistate Syed Ainuddin with the help of Dy. S.P. (C.I.D.) Khan Bahadur Tasadduk Husain, the final case against 28 accused started on 21 May 1926 in the special session court of Mr A. Hamilton. Abbas Salim Khan, Banwari Lal Bhargava, Gyan Chattarjee and Mohd Ayuf were the assessers of the case. Among these 28, three accused viz. Sachindra Nath SanyalSachindra Nath Sanyal
Sachindra Nath Sanyal was a famous Indian revolutionary and the founder of Hindustan Republican Association that was created to carry out armed resistance against the British Empire in India. He was the mentor for revolutionaries like Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh...
, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee
Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee
Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee was an Indian freedom fighter, revolutionary and member of Rajya Sabha .-Short biography:...
and Rajendra Nath Lahiri were dragged in the trial from Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
as they had already been held there.
Court appointed Pandit Jagat Narayan Mulla as public prosecutor knowingly, because Jagat Narayan was prejudice to Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil (Hindi: राम प्रसाद 'बिस्मिल', Gujarati: રામપ્રસાદ બિસ્મિલ, (Malayalam: രാം പ്രസാദ് ബിസ്മിൽ, Tamil: ராம் பிரசாத் பிஸ்மில், Born: 11 June 1897, Executed: 19 December 1927) was an Indian revolutionary who participated in Mainpuri Shadyantra of...
since 1916 when Bismil leaded the grand procession of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Lokmanya Tilak –, was an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer and independence fighter who was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement. The British colonial authorities derogatorily called the great leader "Father of the Indian unrest"...
against his will at Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
. He had also been the public procecutor in Mainpuri
Mainpuri
Mainpuri is a city and a municipal board in Mainpuri district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Mainpuri district and is situated to the north-east of Agra.-Geography:...
conspiracy case of 1918.
Pt. Jagat Narayan Mulla pleaded the case as public prosecutor on behalf of the Government whereas Ram Prasad Bismil defended his case himself.
Final verdict of court
Following the arrest of Ashfaqullah Khan, the police tried to make him provide evidence against his accomplices, but he refused.Another supplementary case was filed against Ashfaqulla Khan and Sachindra BakshiSachindra Bakshi
Shachindra Nath Bakshi was a prominent Indian revolutionary belonging to Hindustan Republican Association that was created to carry out revolutionary activities against the British...
in the court of Special Sessions Judge J.R.W. Bennett. An appeal was filed in the then Chief Court of Oudh (now in U.P.) on 18 July 1927.
Despite protests by the defence committee, which was chaired by Gobind Ballabh Pant, four of the total accused, namely Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil (Hindi: राम प्रसाद 'बिस्मिल', Gujarati: રામપ્રસાદ બિસ્મિલ, (Malayalam: രാം പ്രസാദ് ബിസ്മിൽ, Tamil: ராம் பிரசாத் பிஸ்மில், Born: 11 June 1897, Executed: 19 December 1927) was an Indian revolutionary who participated in Mainpuri Shadyantra of...
, Ashfaqullah Khan, Rajendra Nath Lahiri and Roshan Singh
Roshan Singh
and rohanThakur Roshan Singh was an Indian revolutionary who was sentenced in the Bareilly Goli Kand in the Non Cooperation Movement of 1921-22...
were sentenced to death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
by the Court of Justice. 16 others were either given life sentences or long prison terms varying from 3 years to 14 years.
Banwari Lal
Banwari Lal
Banwari Lal was a prominent Indian revolutionary who became an Approver in the historical Kakori conspiracy case of 1925.He hailed from Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh....
, who became approver was also sentenced for 2 years
Famous chorus of court
The following ghazalGhazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
of Bismil Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna
Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna
Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna is a poem in Urdu, written by Ram Prasad Bismil, the great Indian Independence leader, famously involved with Kakori Train Robbery The poem was written as an ode to the young freedom fighters of the Indian Independence Movement.It has also been associated with the younger...
was very much popular amongst all freedom fighters. They used to sing it in a chorus while proceeding to the court for trial. British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Government has banned it totally to be published in any of the leading newspapers but small papers continued its publishing. Its English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation is reproduced hereunder along with the original Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
ghazal in Devnagri script.
See! how much force killer apply. Let the time come we will tell O Sky! What to tell now what we are to try. Hope of dy'ing has dragged us here, Landlovers' rush has increased high. We dedicate to thee everything O Nation! Our deeds of dare they will notify. Neither there is any zeal nor wish, The heart of 'Bismil' now wants to die. | देखना है जोर कितना बाजुए-क़ातिल में है ! वक़्त आने दे बता देंगे तुझे ऐ आसमाँ ! हम अभी से क्या बताएँ क्या हमारे दिल में है ! खीँच कर लाई है हमको क़त्ल होने की उम्म्मीद, आशिकों का आज जमघट कूच-ए-क़ातिल में है ! ऐ शहीदे-मुल्के-मिल्लत हम तेरे ऊपर निसार, अब तेरी हिम्मत का चर्चा ग़ैर की महफ़िल में है ! अब न अगले बल्वले हैं और न अरमानों की भीड़, सिर्फ मिट जाने की हसरत अब दिले-'बिस्मिल' में है ! |
Hunger strike in the jail
After final judgement of court, the group photograph was taken and all the accused were sent to the different jails of United ProvinceUnited Province
The United Provinces, was a province of British India and later of Independent India, which came into existence on 1 April 1937 in result of the shortening of United Provinces of British India...
. They were asked to put off their clothes and wear the jail dress like other prisoners. All the accused protested this jail order and started hunger strikes on the first day. Their plea was quite genuine. They argued that since the all have been charged to overturn the British rule and have been punished under section 120(B) and 121(A) hence they should be treated as political prisoners and provided the same facilities in the jails.
The details of their hunger strike are given hereunder:
| Name of the prisoner | Name of the jail | Days of hunger strike |
|---|---|---|
| Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil (Hindi: राम प्रसाद 'बिस्मिल', Gujarati: રામપ્રસાદ બિસ્મિલ, (Malayalam: രാം പ്രസാദ് ബിസ്മിൽ, Tamil: ராம் பிரசாத் பிஸ்மில், Born: 11 June 1897, Executed: 19 December 1927) was an Indian revolutionary who participated in Mainpuri Shadyantra of... |
Gorakhpur Gorakhpur Gorakhpur is a city in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, near the border with Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur District and Gorakhpur Division. Gorakhpur is one of the proposed capitals of the Purvanchal state which is yet to be formed... Central Jail Jail A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie... |
5 days (from 7-4-1927 to 11-4-1927) |
| Roshan Singh Roshan Singh and rohanThakur Roshan Singh was an Indian revolutionary who was sentenced in the Bareilly Goli Kand in the Non Cooperation Movement of 1921-22... |
Allahabad Allahabad Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,... Jail |
6 days (from 7-4-1927 to 13-4-1927) |
| Ram Nath Pandey | Raibareli District Jail Jail A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie... |
11 days (from 7-4-1927 to 18-4-1927) |
| Prem Krishna Khanna | Dehradun Dehradun - Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level... District Jail Jail A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie... |
16 days (from 7-4-1927 to 23-4-1927) |
| Suresh Chandra Bhattacharya | Agra Agra Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most... Central Jail Jail A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie... |
19 days (from 7-4-1927 to 26-4-1927) |
| Ram Krishna Khatri | Agra Agra Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most... Central Jail Jail A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie... |
32 days (from 7-4-1927 to 9-5-1927) |
| Mukundi Lal | Bareilly Bareilly Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand... District Jail Jail A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie... |
32 days (from 7-4-1927 t0 9-5-1927) |
| Raj Kumar Sinha | Bareilly Bareilly Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand... District Jail Jail A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie... |
38 days (from 7-4-1927 to 15-5-1927) |
| Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee was an Indian freedom fighter, revolutionary and member of Rajya Sabha .-Short biography:... |
Fatehgarh Fatehgarh Fatehgarh is a cantonment town in Farrukhabad district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located on the right bank of the Ganges River. It is the administrative headquarters of Farrukhabad District. Fatehgarh derives its name from an old fort. It is a small city with no significant... Jail Jail A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie... |
41 days (from 7-4-1927 to 18-5-1927) |
| Ram Dulare Trivedi | Fatehgarh Fatehgarh Fatehgarh is a cantonment town in Farrukhabad district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located on the right bank of the Ganges River. It is the administrative headquarters of Farrukhabad District. Fatehgarh derives its name from an old fort. It is a small city with no significant... Jail Jail A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie... |
41 days (from 7-4-1927 to 18-5-1927) |
| Govind Charan Kar | Fatehgarh Fatehgarh Fatehgarh is a cantonment town in Farrukhabad district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located on the right bank of the Ganges River. It is the administrative headquarters of Farrukhabad District. Fatehgarh derives its name from an old fort. It is a small city with no significant... Jail Jail A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie... |
41 days (from 7-4-1927 to 18-5-1927) |
| Manmath Nath Gupta Manmath Nath Gupta Manmath Nath Gupta was an Indian revolutionary writer and author of autobiographical, historical and fictional books in Hindi, English and Bengali. He joined the Indian independence movement at the age of 13, and was an active member of the Hindustan Republican Association... |
Naini Naini Naini is a satellite locality/township of the city of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India in the south-east.-History:Naini was infamous for its prison, Naini Jail, where many freedom fighters—including Pt... Allahabad Allahabad Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,... Jail Jail A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie... |
45 days (from 7-4-1927 to 22-5-1927) |
| Vishnu Sharan Dublish | Naini Naini Naini is a satellite locality/township of the city of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India in the south-east.-History:Naini was infamous for its prison, Naini Jail, where many freedom fighters—including Pt... Allahabad Allahabad Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,... Jail Jail A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie... |
45 days (from 7-4-1927 to 22-5-1927) |
Defence committee
The legal defence for the arrested revolutionaries was provided by Gobind Ballabh Pant, Mohan Lal Saxena, Chandra Bhanu Gupta, Ajit Prasad Jain, Gopi Nath Srivastava, R. M. Bahadurji and B. K. Chaudhury and Kripa Shankar Hajela. Pandit Jagat Narayan Mulla, a leading advocate from LucknowLucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
and brother in law of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
refused to take up the defence of the arrested revolutionaries. He was appointed as Public Prosecutor by the law of Court.
Among the political figures who came out in support of those arrested for the Kakori train robbery were: Motilal Nehru
Motilal Nehru
Motilal Nehru was an early Indian independence activist and leader of the Indian National Congress, who remained Congress President twice, and...
, Madan Mohan Malviya, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a Muslim lawyer, politician, statesman and the founder of Pakistan. He is popularly and officially known in Pakistan as Quaid-e-Azam and Baba-e-Qaum ....
, Lala Lajpat Rai
Lala Lajpat Rai
Lala Lajpat Rai was an Indian author, freedom fighter and politician who is chiefly remembered as a leader in the Indian fight for freedom from the British Raj. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari or Sher-e-Punjab meaning the samem and was part of the Lal Bal Pal trio...
, Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi
Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi
Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi , was an Indian journalist, a leader of the Indian National Congress and an independence movement activist. He is mostly known as the founder-editor of the Hindi language newspaper, Pratap....
, Shiv Prasad Gupta
Shiv Prasad Gupta
Rashtraratana Shri Shiv Prasad Gupta was the founder of the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth. He was a great visionary, philanthropist and a leader of the Indian Freedom Movement...
, Shri Prakash and Acharya Narendra Dev.
Reaction in the country
There were widespread protests against the Court's decision all over the country, and members of the Central Legislature even petitioned the Viceroy of India to commute the death sentences given to the four men to life sentences. Appeals were also sent to the Privy Council and even to Mohandas K. Gandhi himself. However, these requests were turned down and the men were finally executed.Final Mercy Appeal rejected
On 22 August 1927 the Chief Court endorsed the original judgement with an exception of one or two punishments. A mercy appeal was filed in due course before the Provincial Governor of U.P. by the members of legislative council which was dismissed. Ram Prasad BismilRam Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil (Hindi: राम प्रसाद 'बिस्मिल', Gujarati: રામપ્રસાદ બિસ્મિલ, (Malayalam: രാം പ്രസാദ് ബിസ്മിൽ, Tamil: ராம் பிரசாத் பிஸ்மில், Born: 11 June 1897, Executed: 19 December 1927) was an Indian revolutionary who participated in Mainpuri Shadyantra of...
wrote a letter to Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya on 9 September 1927 from Gorakhpur Jail. Malviya sent a memorandum to the then Viceroy and Governor General of India Edward Fredrick Lindley Wood
E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, , known as The Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and as The Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was one of the most senior British Conservative politicians of the 1930s, during which he held several senior ministerial posts, most notably as...
with the signatures of 78 Members of Central Legislature, which was also turned down.
On 16 September 1927 the final mercy appeal was forwarded to Privy Council at London and to the King Emperor through a famous lawyer of England S.L. Polak but the British Government, who had already decided to hang them, sent their final decision to the India office of Viceroy that all the four condemned prisoners are to be hanged till death by 19 December 1927 positively
See also
- Indian Independence MovementIndian independence movementThe term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
- Hindustan Republican Association
- Hindustan Socialist Republican AssociationHindustan Socialist Republican AssociationHindustan Socialist Republican Association was a revolutionary organisation established in 1928 at Feroz Shah Kotla New Delhi by Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and others...
- Rajendra LahiriRajendra LahiriRajendra Lahiri , also known as Rajendra Nath Lahiri,, was a Bengali Hindu Brahmin revolutionary, who participated in various revolutionary activities of the Hindustan Republican Association aimed at ousting the British forever from India.-Brief life sketch:Rajendra Lahiri was born on 23 Jun 1901...
- Ram Prasad BismilRam Prasad BismilRam Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil Ram Prasad Bismil (Hindi: राम प्रसाद 'बिस्मिल', Gujarati: રામપ્રસાદ બિસ્મિલ, (Malayalam: രാം പ്രസാദ് ബിസ്മിൽ, Tamil: ராம் பிரசாத் பிஸ்மில், Born: 11 June 1897, Executed: 19 December 1927) was an Indian revolutionary who participated in Mainpuri Shadyantra of...
- Sukhdev Thapar
- Chandrashekar Azad
- Rajguru
- Thakur Roshan Singh
- Ashfaqullah Khan
- Banwari LalBanwari LalBanwari Lal was a prominent Indian revolutionary who became an Approver in the historical Kakori conspiracy case of 1925.He hailed from Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh....
- ShahjahanpurShahjahanpurShahjahanpur is a municipal board, town and district headquarters of Shahjahanpur District in Uttar Pradesh, India.-History:During the reign of Shahjahan, Mughal forces demolished the city of Kant...