Bhagat Singh said during his trial in court, “Revolution is the inalienable right of mankind. Freedom is the birthright for all. The Labourer is the real sustainer of the society….no sacrifice is too great for so magnificent cause.” He clarified that revolution to him was not a cult of bomb and pistol and added, “It was for a total change in society culminating in the overthrow of foreign and Indian capitalism and the establishment of the dictatorship of proletariat.” Awaiting the capital punishment that he was awarded by the court, when he was only 23, Bhagat Singh, without wasting any time, got engaged in the study of Marxism.

Bhagat Singh and his friends, sharing the same path, following the same principles, became almost legends as they kept waging struggles incessantly to improve the gruesome conditions in which the fellow political prisoners were kept, especially when the case was going on in the court.

Within the country also optimism was very much alive. Bombay textile workers had started a massive strike that continued for six months. In Calcutta, the workers had joined those in Bombay and Kanpur too had jumped into it. In 1926, Bhagat Singh and his friends formed Bharat Naujawan Sabha. Very soon the Sabha became one of the strongest organizations and played a major role in radicalising the youth in Punjab. Bhagat Singh was also engaged as editorial staff in ‘Kirti’ for some time. It was a socialist journal brought out by Sohan Singh Josh.

The HSRA was soon reorganized and its main objective was to liberate the country as a free socialist state. The prime issue was how to unleash struggle for freedom and socialism. Socialism remained as the ideal. Many of those who later joined the Communist Party of India came to join the cause. Ajoy Ghosh was one of them who later became general secretary of the CPI.

Gloom was getting lighter as a possibility gleamed at the margins. People were unleashing agitations. Youth leagues were coming up and working class was busy to initiate a massive unrest. Soon came the arrest warrants, for communists, trade union leaders. P C Joshi, student in Allahabad university, and Youth League leader, was arrested and as a result, students rose as one in a massive protest, and demonstrations started all over the country. Soon the moment came when Bhagat Singh and his comrades realized that they could work together with communists, forging a working alliance with them.

Despite the differences, they were aware of similarities. Both were opposed to imperialism, and followed their ultimate cause, which was to move to socialism. In this, both HSRA and the communists were one. The arrest of communists was considered by these revolutionary sections a threat to them too. They resolved to launch a protest which was against the entire imperialist policy of suppressive actions against the masses. The passing of Trade Dispute Bill was one of them, and to oppose it, it was decided to distribute a leaflet explaining it. To attract the attention of the entire country, it was decided to explode a bomb in the Assembly, not to kill but to communicate and then distribute the leaflet written by Bhagat Singh, in the house, taking the responsibility along with Batukeswar Dutt for the entire action.

After the explosion, it was chaos and everybody left the house. Leaflet had to be scattered around. The leaflet was a statement written by Bhagat Singh himself of which they accepted their responsibility. Bhagat Sigh and Batukeshwar Dutt were arrested from there itself.

When the Lahore Conspiracy case began in 1929, it was clear to Bhagat Singh and his comrades that revolutionary use must be made of the trial. Every time whenever such possibility arose, British government must be exposed. It must also be used to demonstrate the unconquerable will of the revolutionaries. He said ‘we’ would continue to work inside and outside the jail, and keep on rousing people. These revolutionaries believed that their generation was setting example that would create the basis for rise of the new leadership. Socialism for them was an ideal, the principle to guide them, to rebuild the society after the liberation of India.

Bhagat Singh was an avid reader, especially of socialist literature, and perhaps the first among the group to be attracted towards socialism. He was aware of all important events that were taking place outside the jail, like Sholapur uprising, Peshawar upheaval, the heroic stance of Garhwali soldiers that were led by Chandra Singh Garhwali. He told the court during his trial that their struggle was not based on pistol and bombs, but on the transition of society where each one had enough to meet their basic needs, in short, towards socialism.

Studies helped them to expand their vision especially in prison. They always cherished the Soviet Union and on the occasion of the anniversary of November Revolution (as they called the October Revolution) in 1930, they sent greetings to the Soviet Union, hailing its victories, and also pledged support to them against all enemies.

On March 23, 1931, just on the eve of Karachi session of the Congress, death sentence of Bhagat Singh was carried out. Bhagat Singh was hardly 24 at the time. (IPA Service)