Remembering Chandrashekhar Azad
Early morning, 27 February 1931: Chandrashekhar Azad meets Nehru but is unable to persuade him to speak to Gandhi on the matter of Bhagat Singh.
Azad had met Nehru on the insistence of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi to seek his help in the case of Bhagat Singh. He was hoping Nehru could persuade Gandhi to talk to the Viceroy and reach an agreement with the British Government on this case.
Nehru refuses to intervene in the matter and apparently asks Azad to leave.
Furious, Azad leaves Anand Bhavan and heads towards Alfred Park for a meeting with Sukhdev. There he is spotted by the DSP of Allahabad and the SSP (C.I.D.) John Nott-Bower.
Sensing danger, Azad takes out his pistol and fires at Nott-Bower, injuring him on the wrist. He then shoots at Bisheshwar Singh.. Under the cover of this fire Sukhdev Raj manages to escape from the spot..
Soon police reinforcements arrive and surround the park.
In the initial encounter, Azad suffers a severe bullet wound in his right thigh, making it difficult for him to move. Â Taking cover behind the trees, he continues to fire at the approaching force.
Finally, heavily outnumbered and with only one bullet left in his pistol, he shoots himself, keeping his pledge to never be captured alive.
Fearing public outrage, Azad’s body was sent for cremation in secrecy. Â Thus a great martyr died, alone and unsung..
Note: The above is is a reconstruction of events based on public sources but is not verified. Â
Apparently, the file related to this encounter and the case of Chandrashekhar Azad is preserved in C.I.D. Headquarters at Lucknow. The Colt pistol is on display at the Alllahabad Museum.
Here are the lines he penned – and lived by:
‘Dushman ki goliyon ka hum samna karenge,
Azad hee rahein hain, azad hee rahenge’Â
Please take a moment today to remember these braves who dies so we can breathe the air of freedom today..And pl don’t forget to share – especially with the young ones in your family and among your friends..Jai Hind, Jai Bharat! – Shantanu
Sources: http://j.mp/1hiZ0Qq and http://j.mp/1fVryLV
Image courtesy Amit Bugg http://j.mp/1hiZAOj
Related: Â Remembering Sardar Bhagat Singh.. and all the posts under National Heroes
such wonderful courageous line, which is the outburst of a mighty soul.Sadly, many young minds, dont give a thought to such ideas now, because our leaders are always so abusive and not patriotic truly.
I really salute this brave ,vallent hero.Today we should all try to become like him by doing something for this nation.IF we join hands ,then we can really make a difference in the society in which we live in.