Chandrashekhar Azad, Role in Independence, Death

Chandrashekhar Azad was born on 23 July 1906 in Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh, as Chandra Shekhar Sitaram Tiwari. At the age of 15, he was arrested during the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-21). When produced before the court, he defiantly introduced himself as ‘Azad’ (free), stated his father’s name as ‘Swatantrata’ (freedom), and declared his residence as ‘prison’. This fearless response earned him the enduring name by which he became a legend.

Chandrashekhar Azad Role in Independence

• Chandra Shekhar Azad became deeply sad when Mahatma Gandhi called off the Non-Cooperation Movement in February 1922. Like several of his contemporaries, this disappointment steered him towards a more militant course of action.
• He subsequently joined the Hindustan Republican Army, founded by Ram Prasad Bismil and Sachindranath Sanyal. 
• Kakori Mail Robbery (1925): Azad played an active role in the Kakori train robbery of 1925, executed under the leadership of Ram Prasad Bismil, which marked a significant episode in the revolutionary struggle.
• In 1928, along with his fellow revolutionaries, Azad reorganized the HRA into the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, with the aim of establishing a socialist republic in India.
• Following the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, Azad, along with Bhagat Singh and Rajguru, sought retribution. While Bhagat Singh and Rajguru assassinated British officer John Saunders, Azad shot a police constable who pursued them.
• On Azad’s guidance, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt carried out the bombing of the Central Legislative Assembly on 8 April 1929, aiming to make a political statement rather than cause fatalities.
• Azad was also indirectly linked to the attempt to derail the Viceroy’s train in December 1929, further exemplifying his commitment to armed resistance against colonial rule.

Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA)

In 1928, the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) was reorganised into the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) at a historic meeting held at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. Prominent members present included Bhagat Singh, Bejoy Kumar Sinha, Shiv Varma, Jaidev Kapur, Bhagwati Charan Vohra, and Sukhdev. Chandrashekhar Azad did not attend this meeting.

The reorganisation marked a significant ideological shift. Bhagat Singh and his associates emphasized socialism as a guiding principle, envisioning India’s independence not merely as political freedom but as economic and social emancipation for the masses. The leadership model adopted was collective in nature, moving away from reliance on individual revolutionary acts to a broader mass movement.

Chandrashekhar Azad, though absent from the Kotla meeting, was appointed as the Commander of the Military Division of the HSRA. In this role, he was tasked with planning and executing organised armed resistance against colonial authority.

‹ ›

Chandrashekhar Azad Death

On 27 February 1931, Chandrashekhar Azad was betrayed to the police at Alfred Park in Allahabad (now Prayagraj). Surrounded by forces, he fought till his last bullet, which he used on himself to avoid capture, staying true to his vow of never being taken alive.