'Gandhi go back...' Could Mahatma Gandhi have avoided Bhagat Singh's hanging?

Bhagat Singh Birth Anniversary: There was noise of slogans of 'Gandhi go back'. Angry youth were showing them black flags. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were shouting slogans and accusing Gandhi of not saving them from the noose. Resentment was at its peak. This was the scene of the Karachi conference of Congress. Three days before the conference, on the evening of 23 March 1931, Sardar Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged in Lahore Jail.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “There should be no doubt that I did not want to save Bhagat Singh and his comrades. I tried my best. But I want you to realize their mistake. His path was wrong and futile. “I want to tell the youth with fatherly authority that violence only brings hellish torture.”

Bose wanted the condition of canceling the hanging to be kept in the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.

Questions were repeatedly raised on Mahatma Gandhi before and after his hanging. There were complaints from within and outside the Congress and from a large section of the public that Gandhi was the only person whose influence could have stopped this hanging. The youth, under the leadership of Subhash Chandra Bose, had demanded that the withdrawal of the decision to hang Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Raj Guru should be included in the condition of agreement with Viceroy Irwin. Bose said, “If the Viceroy is not ready then talks should not be held at all or the agreement should be broken.”

Were Gandhi's efforts half-hearted?

Gandhi-Irwin talks started from 17 February 1931 and continued till 5 March. On February 18, Gandhi told Irwin, “This has nothing to do with our talks. You may also find it inappropriate. But if you want to improve the present environment, then you should postpone the hanging of Bhagat Singh and his comrades.” According to Mahatma Gandhi, “The Viceroy expressed happiness at raising the issue in this manner. Said that it is difficult to change the punishment. But postponing it can be considered.”

Irwin wrote to the Secretary of State the same day, “Although Gandhi had always been opposed to the death penalty, he insisted on deferment. He said that hanging would affect peace.” The Father of the Nation raised this issue with Irwin for the second time on 19 March 1931. This meeting was in connection with the notification of the agreement before the Congress session of Karachi. While leaving after the meeting, he told Irwin, “I have seen the hanging date of March 24 in the newspapers.”

Irwin replied, “I approached the matter with caution. But no reason was found to convert the death sentence into life imprisonment. Thought of postponing it till the Congress session. But it was not considered appropriate, because once the death sentence was pronounced, it would be inappropriate from the political point of view to postpone it. Postponing it would also be inhumane because friends and family would understand that I am considering changing the punishment. After this, Congress will also get a chance to say that it was a victim of the government's manipulation."

That last appeal of Mahatma Gandhi

On March 20, 1931, Gandhi had a long discussion on this issue with Home Secretary Herbert Emerson. In the meeting, the difficulty that would be faced by hanging on both occasions, before or after the Congress session, was felt. Mahatma Gandhi met Irwin again on 21 and 22 March. Seeing some hope of consideration in the last meeting, he wrote in a letter to Irwin on the morning of 23 March 1931, “Writing this letter to you seems like cruelty to you, but in the interest of peace it is necessary to make a final appeal. Although you had clearly told me that there was no hope of any remission in the death sentence of Bhagat Singh and two others, yet you had asked me to consider my request of Saturday. Dr. Sapru met me yesterday and told me that you are concerned about this issue and you are thinking of finding a solution.

If there is scope for reconsideration on this, then I want to remind you that whether the public opinion is right or wrong, it wants relaxation in punishment. When no principle is at stake, it becomes our duty to respect public opinion. The situation is like this in the present case. If the punishment becomes lighter then it is quite possible that it will help in establishing internal peace. If death penalty is imposed then peace will undoubtedly be in danger. Since you seem to consider my influence, useful as it is, useful for the establishment of peace. Therefore, do not unnecessarily make my situation more difficult in the future. Even so, it is not that simple.”

Why was Gandhi helpless?

Mahatma Gandhi himself or his supporters on different occasions mentioned his efforts on the question of the trial and hanging of Bhagat Singh and his comrades. On May 4, 1930, he had opposed the formation of a special tribunal to hear this case. On January 31, 1931, he said in Allahabad, “My personal religion says that those who have been sentenced to death should not be hanged. Should not even be kept in jail. But this is my personal opinion. “We cannot set conditions for his release.”

In a public meeting on March 7, 1931, Mahatma Gandhi said that he was against hanging anyone, whether brave like Bhagat Singh or others. On not including this issue as a condition in the talks and agreement with Irwin, Bapu said that the Congress Working Committee agreed with his opinion and he was bound by the decision of the Working Committee. “He had a stand on the question of postponing the death sentence instead of canceling or commuting the sentence.”

Congress leaders and jurists like Tej Bahadur Sapru had understood the legal aspect of the decision very well. After the decision of the Privy Council, there was no hope of pardon or change in sentence from the Viceroy's level. Therefore postponing the hanging was a better way. So that when the opportune time comes, a way out can be found.” He wrote to C Vijayaraghavachari on 29 April 1931, “The legality of the sentence was discussed by Tej Bahadur Sapru with the Viceroy. You know their influence, but there was no result.”

Why hanging? We are prisoners of war! Shoot me..

The big question is whether Sardar Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev, Rajguru would have accepted any condition to avoid hanging? After bursting the bomb in the Central Assembly, Bhagat Singh was arrested instead of running away. Boycotted the court proceedings. Took direct responsibility for Saunders's murder and explained the reasons for it. If Mahatma Gandhi considered his path inappropriate then Bhagat Singh also did not expect freedom through non-violence. Would he have accepted saving his life with Gandhi's help? Bhagat Singh, happily ready for sacrifice, had stopped his father Sardar Kishan Singh from appealing to the Privy Council. Mother Vidyavati, without his knowledge, applied to the Viceroy to cancel the execution.

Sardar Bhagat Singh was restless with the efforts to postpone the punishment. What Bhagat Singh wanted while standing on the verge of death is told by his letter written to the Governor of Punjab on 20 March 1931. This is its part, “As far as our fate is concerned, I want permission to say that when you have decided to kill us, you will definitely do so. You have power in your hands and power is the biggest justification in the world. We know that the proverb of whose stick is his buffalo guides your path. Our entire indictment is proof of this.

Here we want to say that as per the statement of your court, we fought a war, hence we are prisoners of war and we say that we should be treated accordingly, that is, we say that instead of being hanged, we should be shot. ,

Sardar Bhagat Singh was sure that his sacrifice would not go in vain. Even after death, he will remain alive through his thoughts. That is why I wrote in my last letter to my brother Kultar Singh,

• I am quite a guest, dear gathering.
• I am grazing, I want to quench my thirst.
• There will be electricity of thought in my air
• This mushte is ashes and may not remain.

“Like the flame of a morning lamp, I become invisible before the glow of dawn. Like lightning, our faith and our thoughts will illuminate the world. What harm is there if this handful of ashes gets destroyed..!”