8 min readConcept sheetSection A MCQ (1 mark) and objective (2 marks, two parts); Section B very short answer (2 marks) and short answer (3 marks)

The revolutionaries

Some young Indians believed only armed struggle could free India. They formed secret groups; Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb in the Assembly in 1929.

Kakori Conspiracy1925; planned by Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan and others of the Hindustan Republican Association

HSRAHindustan Socialist Republican Association, formed in 1928 by Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Batukeshwar Dutt and others

Bomb in the Assembly8 April 1929, Central Legislative Assembly; Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt; slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad' (long live the revolution); no one hurt

MartyrdomBhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged on 23 March 1931

Who were the revolutionaries?

British repression filled a section of young Indians with deep anger. They believed India could win freedom only through an organised armed struggle. So they formed secret societies and trained in the use of force. They tried to kill unpopular British officials, carried out robberies (dacoities) to fund their work, looted arms and disrupted railway traffic. They were called revolutionaries. Their main centres were Punjab, Maharashtra, Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa.

Revolutionaries named in your lesson

Revolutionary	Region or group	Remember
Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki	Bengal	Among the earliest young revolutionaries; bomb attack at Muzaffarpur, 1908
Bhupendra Nath Dutt	Bengal	Worked with the early Bengal revolutionary groups
V. D. Savarkar	Maharashtra	Organised young revolutionaries in western India
Sardar Ajit Singh	Punjab	Led protest and revolutionary work in Punjab
Lala Hardayal	Ghadar Party	Worked from abroad to overthrow British rule by force
Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan	Hindustan Republican Association	Planned the Kakori Conspiracy, 1925
Chandra Shekhar Azad	HSRA	Founded the HSRA in 1928 with Bhagat Singh and others
Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru	HSRA, Punjab	Hanged on 23 March 1931 after their trials
Batukeshwar Dutt	HSRA	Threw the bomb in the Assembly with Bhagat Singh, 1929

The bomb in the Assembly (1929)

Why
The government was pushing two bills, the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill, to curb political activity and workers' rights.
8 April 1929★
Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt throw a bomb inside the Central Legislative Assembly, shouting Inquilab Zindabad. No one is killed or hurt.
Arrest
They do not run away. They are arrested and use their trial to spread their ideas.
23 March 1931
Tried for this and for other actions, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru are hanged in Lahore jail. People honour them as martyrs, and they become a symbol of national unity.

★ key step

Revolutionaries and Gandhian satyagrahis: same goal, different paths

RevolutionariesBelieved in armed struggle. Worked through secret societies. Small groups of young people. Methods: attacks on officials, looting arms, dacoities.

Gandhian satyagrahisBelieved in non-violence. Worked openly and accepted jail. Mass movements of millions. Methods: boycott, non-cooperation, civil disobedience.

Both wanted complete freedom from British rule. Most Congress leaders did not favour the path of violence.

Socialist ideas in the 1920s and 1930s

Socialist ideas grew inside and outside the Congress. Peasants asked for land reforms, an end to the zamindari system, lower revenue and relief from debt.
The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), founded in 1920, worked for better working and living conditions and brought workers into the demand for complete independence.
Socialist and communist leaders named in your lesson include M. N. Roy, S. A. Dange, Muzaffar Ahmed, Singaravelu Chettiar and P. C. Joshi.
As Congress president at the Lucknow session of 1936, Jawaharlal Nehru said that socialist ideas held the answer to India's problems.
Subhas Chandra Bose was also drawn to socialist ideas. After differences with Gandhi he resigned as Congress president in 1939 and formed the Forward Bloc.

In real life

23 March is observed as Shaheed Diwas (Martyrs' Day) in memory of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. Their slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad' is still raised at rallies and protests across India.

Exam angle

1 marks: “Name the two revolutionaries who threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly in 1929.” Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt.

2 marks: “Who were the revolutionaries? Name two of them.” Young nationalists who believed India could be freed only by organised armed struggle, working through secret societies. Examples: Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad (also Khudiram Bose, Ram Prasad Bismil).

3 marks: “Why did Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt throw a bomb in the Assembly? What happened afterwards?” To protest against the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill, on 8 April 1929, shouting Inquilab Zindabad; no one was hurt. They courted arrest and used the trial to spread their ideas. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged on 23 March 1931.

Remember it

HRA 1925 Kakori (Bismil, Ashfaqullah); HSRA 1928 (Azad, Bhagat Singh); Assembly bomb 8 April 1929; martyrs 23 March 1931.