Have you seen Bhagat Singh's original letter to jail authorities
What's the story
A letter Bhagat Singh wrote to Lahore jail authorities, requesting a meeting with his father has surfaced on Martyrs' Day. On this day, iconic revolutionary Singh, along with Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Hari Rajguru, was hanged at the Lahore Central Jail in today's Pakistan in 1931. All of them died at the age of no more than 23 years.
Charges
Singh shot a British police officer in Lahore
Singh and his associates were convicted of the murder of British police officer John Saunders, who was shot in Lahore in December 1928. However, Singh had originally intended to assassinate police superintendent James Scott, whom he held responsible for the death of popular Indian nationalist leader Lala Lajpat Rai. Singh's father Sardar Kishan Singh claimed that his son was innocent.
Letter
Singh wanted to meet his father before execution
Reportedly, Singh used to write letters to his father and British authorities from prison. In one such letter to jail authorities, he sought permission to meet his father before getting executed. According to Marxists Internet Archives, the letter itself bore no date but one of the annotations made on it by officials provided a date of May 31, 1929.
Twitter Post
Check out the letter written by Singh
Letter Written by Bhagat Singh to Lahore Jail Authorities to Allow Meeting With His Father pic.twitter.com/3Hdr1OQPz4
— indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) March 22, 2023
Details
Singh didn't want to offer his defense in the case
Terming the matter "very urgent," Singh said he needed to meet his father to give him important instructions for his defense counsel. However, according to The Sunday Guardian, Singh wrote a letter to his father just five months before his execution, saying he was not in favor of offering his defense. "I have not approved of your move," Singh told his father.