Martyrs never die, and Shaheed Udham Singh was such pre-independence figure. The Year 2019 marks the 120th birth anniversary of Shaheed Udham Singh. He was born on December 26, 1899, at Sunam in the Sangrur district of Punjab. 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 Michael O’Dwyer

On April 10, 1919, Congress leaders including Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew were arrested under the Rowlatt Act. To protest against the arrests, more than 20,000 unarmed people assembled in Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on the festival of Baisakhi on April 13, 1919. Udham Singh killed Michael O’Dwyer on March 13, 1940, to avenge Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. O'Dwyer was governor of Punjab when Colonel Reginald Dyer opened fire on the peaceful protesters. O’Dwyer endorsed Col Dyer’s action. The freedom fighter was then tried and hanged on July 31, 1940. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Centenary: VP M Venkaiah Naidu Releases Postage Stamp, Rs 100 Coin to Commemorate 100 Years of Incident.

Here are Some Interesting Facts About Shaheed Udham Singh:

  • He was born as Sher Singh. He received the name of Udham Singh in the orphanage.

  • Udham Singh and his friends from the orphanage served water to the protesters in Jallianwala Bagh when Dyer opened fire.

  • Singh considered Bhagat Singh as his idol.

  • 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.

    • He went on a 42-day hunger strike inside Pentonville Prison where he was kept and had to be forcibly fed.

  • His mortal remains were handed over to India in 1974 and are kept at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.

  • His weapon, a knife, a diary and a bullet which he fired on O’Dwyer, were kept in Black Museum in Scotland Yard.

While in custody, he called himself "Ram Mohammad Singh Azad", where the first three words of the name reflect the three major religious communities of Punjab - Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh, and the last word "azad" means free. Punjab section of the Indian National Congress and the youth applauded Udham Singh’s. However, Mahatma Gandhi expressed disappointed on Singh’s action.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 26, 2019 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).