Why in news?
The anniversary of the Kakori incident on 9 August 1925 was commemorated recently. The event is an important milestone in India’s freedom struggle and offers lessons on revolutionary activities during the colonial era.
Background and incident
- By the mid‑1920s many young nationalists grew frustrated with constitutional methods and the suspension of non‑cooperation. They formed the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) to wage an armed struggle against British rule.
- On 9 August 1925, a group led by Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Chandrashekhar Azad and others stopped a train near Kakori in present‑day Uttar Pradesh. They seized bags containing government funds collected from British tax revenue, hoping to fund revolutionary activities.
- The raid was meticulously planned to avoid harm to passengers, but one passenger was accidentally killed when the train guard fired a revolver.
Aftermath
- The British authorities launched a large‑scale manhunt. Many revolutionaries were arrested. Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Nath Lahiri and Roshan Singh were later executed. Chandrashekhar Azad escaped capture and continued underground activities.
- The HRA reorganised itself as the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928, attracting new leaders like Bhagat Singh. The Kakori episode thus served as a precursor to later revolutionary acts.
- The incident highlighted the radical wing’s willingness to take up arms and challenged the British narrative that the Indian freedom movement was entirely non‑violent.
Legacy
- The martyrs of Kakori are remembered for their courage and self‑sacrifice. Their writings and court statements inspired many youths to join the freedom struggle.
- The incident also exposed the harshness of colonial justice, galvanising public opinion against British rule.
- It underscores the diversity of strategies adopted within the independence movement, from non‑violent mass protests to revolutionary conspiracies.
