PM Modi honours revolutionaries on Kakori Conspiracy Case on 100th Anniversary

On the 100th anniversary of the Kakori Conspiracy Case, Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored the revolutionaries during his visit, which he remembered as fighting against colonial exploitation. In the 1925 Kakori train robbery case, a group of people who belonged to Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) robbed a train that was transporting British government money in Kakori, Uttar Pradesh. The act was presided over by leaders such as Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan, which was devoted to finance the revolutionary actions and generate the nationalist feeling. The British responded by massive arrests, executions and deportation. It turned into a symbol of the sacrifice and has had an impact over subsequent revolutionaries and has been a guiding light on the ideological basis of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).

Context

• Prime Minister and Home Minister marked the centenary of Kakori Train Robbery, one of the signpost events of Indian freedom struggle.

Key Points 

Background

• Prior to 1925: Increasing disappointment in the non-violent approach saw the new generations of nationalism acquire armed struggle.

• HRA Formation: The organization was established to fight British rule by direct action.

Kakori Conspiracy events

• Time: 9 August 1925.

• Action: The number 8 down Train (Shahjahanpur-Lucknow) was halted close to Kakori by members of HRA.

• Procedure: chain yanked; 8,000 tax revenue-bucks stolen out of cabin of guard.

• Leaders Involved: Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, Sachindranath Sanyal, Thakur Roshan Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad ( managed to escape).

Trial & Sentences

• British Crackdown: The vast majority of the conspirators caught in one month.

Punishments:

• Death: Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, Thakur Roshan Singh.

• Deportation: Sachindranath Sanyal and others Reports: Kala Pani.

• Several of them will have to face life imprisonment.

Objectives

• Financial: Fund revolutionary activities with funds of the British government.

• Political: Spread an assertive message of rebellion as a source of inspiration to Indians.

• Symbolic: Rage against excessive taxation of the colonies.

Impact

• Martyrdom: Leaders who had been executed became symbols of martyrs.

• Inspiration: The inspiration to the group was Bhagat Singh and HSRA, and other revolutionary organizations.

• Shifts in Organisation: HRA renamed HSRA in 1928 to add a socialist outlook.

Conclusion

The Kakori Conspiracy Case is an incident that should always be remembered in the freedom struggle in India not because it resulted in material benefits but more so because it sparked off the spirit of sacrifice and rebellion. Its memory still fills the world with vision of great and independent India.