Mahavir defeated the British officer in one punch and was sentenced to life imprisonment

The forgotten freedom fighters, The name of Thakur Mahavir Singh is also included among the revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives in the freedom movement. Thakur Mahavir Singh is the same revolutionary with whom Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Batukeshwar Dutt and Jatindranath Das carried out the bomb blast in the Assembly. In this case, Mahavir Singh was sentenced to life imprisonment by the British government. Now let us tell you who Thakur Mahavir Singh is and what was his contribution in the freedom movement.

Thakur Mahavir Singh was born on 16 September 1904 in Tahla village of Etah district of Uttar Pradesh. Mahavir’s father was one of the reputed Vaidyas of Etah district. Mahavir Singh’s primary education was done in Etah district itself. The spirit of patriotism was first seen in Mahavir Singh when the government officials organized a peace meeting to please the British government. All the important people including the district collector and police captain were invited to this program.

Also, children from various schools were forcibly brought to this program. Mahavir Singh was also one of these children. During the program, when people were enthusiastically singing praises of the British rule, Mahavir Singh stood up in the middle of the gathering and shouted slogans of Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Mahatma Gandhi Ki Jai. As soon as Mahavir Singh started, other children also started shouting slogans of Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Mahatma Gandhi Ki Jai. Mahavir Singh had to pay the price of these slogans by receiving 21 canes.

It was from here that Mahavir Singh jumped into the freedom movement. After this, his father sent him to Kanpur for higher education. It was here that he came in contact with Chandrashekhar Azad. Influenced by Chandrashekhar Azad, he became an active member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. After the Kakori incident, Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh decided that some comrades should be given training in driving motor cars in Lahore. Mahavir Singh was selected for this task and he was sent to Lahore.

Meanwhile, Lala Lajpat Rai started a big movement against the Simon Commission in Lahore. During a demonstration, Lala Lajpat Rai died after being hit by a lathi of the British government. After this, Bhagat Singh and Rajguru made a plan to kill the British officer who attacked Lala Lajpat Rai. Mahavir Singh himself took Bhagat Singh and Rajguru to the spot in a car. After this, Mahavir Singh was also present with Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt when a bomb was thrown in the assembly.

Mahavir Singh, who was arrested in this case, was sentenced to life imprisonment. After being sentenced, Mahavir Singh and Dr. Gaya Prasad were sent to Bellary Central Jail in the south. Even after going there, Mahavir Singh did not end his movement. In the jail, he not only refused to obey the orders of the British officers, but also did not wear a tap or participate in the parade. The British officers used to forcibly bring him to the parade wearing handcuffs and shackles.

Also read: Rejected the luxurious life of America, became a revolutionary and gave a tough time to the British, stayed in the royal jail of Lahore… Gulab Kaur left for America with her husband Man Singh. After meeting Sikh revolutionaries in the Philippines, she was so inspired that she decided to abandon her luxurious life in America and join the freedom movement.

During the parade, Mahavir Singh would sometimes sit and sometimes lie down. Despite all the efforts of the British officers, he would not parade. In those days, the superintendent of Bellary jail was a boxer. Whenever Mahavir refused to obey the orders of the British officers, the boxer superintendent would punch him and leave him bleeding. One day Mahavir Singh’s handcuffs were open. As soon as the superintendent attacked, Mahavir Singh punched him so hard that he stumbled and fell four steps away.

After this incident, Mahavir Singh was sentenced to thirty lashes and in January 1933 he was sent to Andaman (Kalapani). During the sentence of Kalapani, Mahavir Singh started a hunger strike against the British rule. For a few days, the British officers ignored his hunger strike, but when many days passed, they tried to force-feed him milk. During this attempt, one day his lungs got filled with milk, due to which he died. In this way, Thakur Mahavir Singh made the supreme sacrifice of his life for the freedom of the country.

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