Revolutionary Movement (1920s–1940s)

Key Pointers

Context: After the withdrawal of Non-Cooperation (1922), a section of youth turned to armed struggle, influenced by socialist thought and the Russian Revolution.
Hindustan Republican Association (HRA, 1924): Founded by Sachindranath Sanyal, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee, Ram Prasad Bismil; manifesto The Revolutionary.
Kakori Train Robbery (9 August 1925): Looting of the government treasury on the 8 Down train near Lucknow; Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Roshan Singh and Rajendra Lahiri hanged (Dec 1927).
HSRA (September 1928, Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi): HRA renamed Hindustan Socialist Republican Association with Chandrashekhar Azad as commander; Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Bhagwati Charan Vohra, Rajguru were key leaders; Naujawan Bharat Sabha (1926) was the open front.
Saunders' murder (17 December 1928, Lahore): Revenge for Lala Lajpat Rai's death after the Simon boycott lathi charge.
Assembly bomb (8 April 1929): Bhagat Singh and B.K. Dutt threw non-lethal bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly opposing the Public Safety and Trade Disputes Bills ('Inquilab Zindabad').
Lahore Conspiracy Case: Jatin Das died after a 63-day fast (Sept 1929); Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru hanged 23 March 1931. Bhagat Singh's essay Why I am an Atheist.
Azad: Died on 27 February 1931 at Alfred Park, Allahabad.
Chittagong Armoury Raid (18 April 1930): Surya Sen ('Masterda') with Ganesh Ghosh, Ananta Singh, Lokenath Bal; Pritilata Waddedar attacked the Pahartali European Club (1932); Surya Sen hanged in 1934; Kalpana Dutta participated.
Other: Dinesh Gupta, Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta attack on Writers' Building (Dec 1930); Bina Das attempted to shoot Governor Stanley Jackson (1932); Udham Singh assassinated Michael O'Dwyer in London (1940).
Ideology: Shift from individual terrorism to socialist revolution and mass mobilisation (Philosophy of the Bomb, Vohra).
Impact: Inspired youth and gave courage, even though a mass revolution could not be organised.

MCQs

Q2. The HSRA was led by: (a) Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh (b) Surya Sen (c) Rash Behari Bose (d) V.D. Savarkar Answer: (a).

Q3. Who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer in London in 1940? (a) Madan Lal Dhingra (b) Udham Singh (c) Khudiram Bose (d) Surya Sen Answer: (b).