Chandra Shekhar Azad

Chandra Shekhar Azad

Chandra Shekhar Azad sometimes also spelled Chandrasekhar; 23 July 1906 – 27 February 1931), popularly known as by his self-taken name Azad , was an Indian revolutionary who reorganized the Hindustan Republican Association under its new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA) after the death of its founder, Ram Prasad Bismil, and three other prominent party leaders, Roshan Singh, Rajendra Nath Lahiri and Ashfaqulla Khan. He often used the pseudonym "Balraj" when signing pamphlets issued as the commander in chief of the HSRA.

Early life and career

Azad was born as Chandrashekhar on 23 July 1906 in Bhabhra village  , in the present-day Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh. His forefathers were from Badarka village near Kanpur. His mother, Jagrani Devi tiwari, was the third wife of Sitaram Tiwari, whose previous wives had died young. After the birth of their first son, Sukhdev, in Badarka, the family moved to Alirajpur State.

Revolutionary life

After the suspension of the non-cooperation movement in 1922 by Gandhi, Azad became more aggressive. He met a young revolutionary, Manmath Nath Gupta, who introduced him to Ram Prasad Bismil who had formed the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), a revolutionary organisation. He then became an active member of the HSRA and started to collect funds for HRA. Most of the fund collection was through robberies of government property. He was involved in the Kakori Train Robbery of 1925, in the attempt to blow up the Viceroy of India's train in 1926, and at last, the shooting of J. P. Saunders at Lahore in 1928 to avenge the killing of Lala Lajpat Rai.

Activities in Jhansi

Azad made Jhansi his organization’s hub for some time. He used the forest of Orchha, situated 15 kilometers from Jhansi, as a site for shooting practice and, being an expert marksman, he trained other members of his group. He built a hut near to a Hanuman temple on the banks of the Satar River and lived there under the alias of Pandit Harishankar Bramhachari for a long period. He taught children from the nearby village of Dhimarpura and thus managed to establish good rapport with the local residents.

While living in Jhansi, he also learned to drive a car at Bundelkhand Motor Garage in Sadar Bazar. Sadashivrao Malkapurkar, Vishwanath Vaishampayan and Bhagwan Das Mahaur came in close contact with him and became an integral part of his revolutionary group. The then congress leaders from Raghunath Vinayak Dhulekar and Sitaram Bhaskar Bhagwat were also close to Azad. He also stayed for sometime in the house of Rudra Narayan Singh at Nai Basti, as well as Bhagwat's house in Nagra.

Death

Azad died at Azad Park in Prayagraj on 27 February 1931. The police surrounded him in the park after Virbhadra Tiwari informed them of his presence there. He was wounded in the process of defending himself and Sukhdev Raj and killed three policemen and wounded others. His actions made it possible for Sukhdev Raj to escape. He shot himself after being surrounded by the police and left with no option of escape after the ammunition was finished. Also, it is said that he used to keep a bullet to kill himself in the event of being caught by the British. The Colt pistol of Chandra Shekhar Azad is displayed at the Allahabad Museum.

The body was sent to Rasulabad Ghat for cremation without informing the general public. As it came to light, people surrounded the park where the incident had taken place. They chanted slogans against British rule and praised Azad.