Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s 109th birth anniversary observed across India

India is observing the 109th birth anniversary of revolutionary socialist Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Born on 28 September 1907, Bhagat Singh was an influential figure in the Indian independence movement.

Some events organised to mark Bhagat Singh’s birth anniversary includes

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Bhagat Singh on his 109th birth anniversary.

• Delhi Government decided to commemorate the day by organising Shaheed Utsav.

• Hindi play Sardar Bhagat Singh was performed by artistes of the Chandigarh Art Theatre Group at the Randhawa auditorium in Punjab Kala Bhawan.

About Bhagat Singh

• The revolutionary freedom fighter, Bhagat Singh, was born in Banga village of Faisalabad district (previously called Lyallpur) in the Punjab province (now in Pakistan) in 1907.

• He was born into a Jat Sikh family which had earlier been involved in revolutionary activities against the British Raj.

• He studied European revolutionary movements as a teenager and was attracted to anarchist and Marxist ideologies.

• He worked with several revolutionary organisations and became prominent in the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), which changed its name to the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928

• To revenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai,he assassinated John Saunders, a British police officer.

• Soon after the event, he along with Batukeshwar Dutt threw two bombs and leaflets inside the Central Legislative Assembly, and offered them for arrest.

• While being held in a jail, he gained widespread national support after undertaking an 116-day hunger strike demanding equal rights for Indian prisoners as of the European prisoners, who were imprisoned for what he believed were political reasons.

• He along with Shivaram Hari Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar was convicted and hanged in Lahore jail for his participation in the assassination, at the age of 23. They were hanged on 23 March 1931.

His legacy prompted youth in India to continue fighting for independence and he remains an influence on some young people in modern India. He has been an inspiration for several films. He is commemorated with a range of memorials including a large bronze statue in the Parliament of India.

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