Shaheed Hari Kishan: A Revolutionary’s Sacrifice Remembered

Remembering Freedom Fighter Shaheed Hari Kishan On His Death Anniversary Today

9 June will be a death anniversary of Shaheed Hari Kishan Talwar, who is a courageous patriot who died in the name of the freedom of the nation at the tender age of 23. He and many others like him are just a reminder of how expensive the independence was and how brave those were who struggled against the colonial rule.

Hari Kishan was born on 2 January 1908 to a poor family in Jalandhar, North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan) and was a teenager when he became a disciple of the great Bhagat Singh. Influenced by the strong nationalist sentiment, the terrorist ideas of his teacher, and the need to be independent, Hari Kishan had been attracted by the Indian independence issue since he was a child. His commitment to joining the struggle was motivated by the oppressive British activities and the appetite to self-rule.

The most notorious act of Hari Kishan is his deadly attempt in murdering Sir Geoffrey de Montmorency who was the then Governor of Punjab on December 23, 1930. This happened when Governor was leaving the University Hall Lahore after giving a convocation address. Hari Kishan had shot him and a Governor was wounded by the assailant; a sub-inspector was however unfortunately killed. Although a defense attorney would later claim that he had no intent to kill but was trying to make a statement to Britain, the action in itself was a statement of defiance to the British rule. It was a stage of a kind of propaganda through the deed that should start the fires of revolutionary process and wake the masses.

Following the incident, Hari Kishan was arrested and charged with murder. While he was young and under dire circumstances, he demonstrated tremendous bravery as he faced the trial, and on January 26, 1931, he was sentenced to death. It was a day that would later become the Republic Day of India nearly two decades later. The Lahore High Court upheld the sentence.

On June 9, 1931, Hari Kishan entered the gallows in the Mianwali Jail in Lahore with a smile on his face, embodying the self-sacrifice characteristic of so many revolutionaries of his time. The British did not even allow him to give his body to the family, so as not to create an opportunity for the public to gather and proliferate revolutionary enthusiasm.

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As a person, Hari Kishan lived a short and uncertain life. But, we can see a commitment to believe and a willingness on the part of the youth to die for a cause. This commitment, in concert with all of those other hundreds of individuals with similar beliefs that acted out of individual conviction and as a part of the revolutionary struggle, helped support the momentum for revolution, inspiring others to act, and creating the atmosphere necessary for India to gain independence in the future. On this death anniversary of Hari Kishan, we recognize not a person but an unequivocal spirit and sacrifice. A memory that will continue to serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle to gain freedom for India.

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