Page 115 - SST Class 05

The list is endless. These people sacrificed themselves for the motherland. They
suffered greatly whenever they were caught. A large number of them were hanged to
death. They were mostly not given justice at the trials.

Know It!
v The revolutionaries were never given justice by the British; they were always given more punishment
,
than they deserved. The case of Bhagat Singh Rajguru and Sukhdev is a case in point, in which these
three young men were sentenced to death without a fair trial.

Bhagat Singh Chandra Shekhar Rajguru B.K. Dutt Sukhdev Cellular Jail
Azad in Andaman
Simon Commission

In 1927, the British government appointed a commission, called Simon Commission. It
was to study the constitutional reforms. It had only British members, and no Indian
representative was included in it, so the people opposed it.

This commission visited India in 1928 and toured many Indian cities. Everywhere, its
arrival was opposed; it was showed black flags; people shouted the slogan ‘Simon Go
Back’ to oppose it.
Know It!
This infused life into the almost lifeless freedom
v To take revenge of Lala Lajpat
movement. The British government wanted to crush the Rai’s death, Bhagat Singh,
movement, like it had done previously. All leaders and Sukhdev, Rajguru and their
protesters were badly beaten. Many of them were put in comrades shot Saunders, a
jails. At Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai took out a protest march British police officer. For this
at, they were hanged to
against the commission. He was brutally lathi-charged. He
death on 23 March, 1931.
was grievously hurt, and later succumbed to it.

Demand for Poorna Swaraj

To face atrocities of the British, the Congress finally decided to demand complete
independence or Poorna Swaraj. This demand was raised Know It!
at the Lahore session in 1929. It was also decided that 26
v How is 26 January celebrated
January will be celebrated as Independence Day from
today each year?
next year onwards.

Civil Disobedience Movement
To pressure the British government, Gandhiji launched the Civil Disobedience

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