India observes 121st birth anniversary of Shaheed Udham Singh. He was born on December 26, 1899, at Sunam in the Sangrur district of Punjab. Udham Singh avenged the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre by killing Michael O'Dwyer.  Singh and his elder brother took shelter in the Central Khalsa Orphanage Putlighar in Amritsar after the death of their father. Shaheed Udham Singh's 79th Martyrdom Day; Nation Remembers Freedom Fighter Who Assassinated General Michael O’Dwyer.

Congress leaders including Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew were arrested under the Rowlatt Act on April 10, 1919. More than 20,000 unarmed people assembled in Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on the festival of Baisakhi on April 13, 1919, for protesting against the arrests of Indian leaders. Singh killed Michael O'Dwyer on March 13, 1940. Udham Singh 120th Birth Anniversary: Here Are Interesting Facts About Indian Freedom Fighter.

Here Are Quotes by Udham Singh:

Quote Reads: “What Great Honour Could Be Bestowed on Me Than Death for the Sake of My Motherland.”

Udham Singh quotes (Photo Credits: File Image)

Quote Reads: "I Do Not Mind My Sentence, Ten, Twenty or Fifty Years or to Be Hanged. I Have Done My Duty."

Udham Singh quotes (Photo Credits: File Image)

Quote Reads: “I Just Shot to Make Protest. I have Seen People Starving in India Under British Imperialism. I Done It, The Pistol Went Off Three Or Times. I Am Not Sorry For Protesting. It Was My Duty To Do So.”

Udham Singh quotes (Photo Credits: File Image)

Quote Reads: “I Am Dying For My Country.”

Udham Singh quotes (Photo Credits: File Image)

O'Dwyer was governor of Punjab when Colonel Reginald Dyer opened fire on the peaceful protesters. O'Dwyer endorsed Col Dyer's action. Udham Singh carried a revolver in his book inside Caxton Hall in London's Westminster to kill O'Dwyer. He shot O'Dwyer twice, before surrendering. The freedom fighter was then tried and hanged on July 31, 1940. Singh considered Bhagat Singh as his idol. Udham Singh's mortal remains were handed over to India in 1974 and are kept at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 26, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).