For years, a WhatsApp lie is being spread: “Gandhi could have saved Bhagat Singh.”
It is a lie. It insults two great revolutionaries at once. Let’s settle it with records, not rumors.
PART 1: THE TRUTH ABOUT BHAGAT SINGH'S EXECUTION
Who hanged them? The British.
Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were sentenced by a special British Tribunal and hanged on 23 March 1931 in Lahore Central Jail, a day early. The order was given by the British Viceroy and Punjab Governor.
2. Did Gandhi try to save them? Yes, with proof.
a) During Gandhi-Irwin talks (Feb-March 1931), Gandhi raised their case. Official meeting notes of 19 March 1931 record it.
b) On 23 March 1931, the day of hanging, Gandhi wrote to Lord Irwin: “I have... appealed to you to postpone execution...” [Collected Works of Gandhi, Vol 51].
c) Lord Irwin himself wrote in his memoirs: Gandhi pleaded for commutation and he had to refuse due to pressure from Punjab officials.
d) Gandhi wrote in Young India after the hanging: “I did all that was possible to save them.”
The British refused because they feared revolutionaries of HSRA (Hindustan Socialist Republican Association).
3. Did Bhagat Singh want mercy? A Strong No.
His father Sardar Kishan Singh filed a mercy petition. Bhagat Singh wrote an angry letter from jail: “Do not file such petitions... I want to die as a martyr for my country.” For him, martyrdom was a weapon to awaken India.
Two paths, one goal — Freedom.
PART 2: WHAT GANDHI BUILT FOR THE COUNTRY BEYOND FREEDOM
Gandhi didn't just fight the British. He tried to rebuild Indian society from inside.
1. Charkha — The Symbol of Self-Reliance:
Charkha was not just a wheel. It was economic freedom. In 1920s, British cloth had destroyed Indian weavers. Gandhi made Charkha a weapon — Swadeshi, self-employment, dignity of labour. He said, “Every thread spun is a blow to British exploitation.” Khadi became employment for lakhs of poor, women and villages.
2. Satyagraha — A New Moral Force:
Satyagraha means “insistence on truth.” First used in South Africa (1906) against racism, then in India — Champaran (1917), Kheda (1918), Dandi March (1930). It taught India that the poorest man can fight the biggest empire without a gun, by refusing to cooperate with injustice.
3. Cultural and Social Reforms:
a) Against Untouchability: He called untouchables “Harijan — Children of God”, lived with them, cleaned toilets himself. His campaign led to opening of temples for Dalits.
b) Hindu-Muslim Unity: He fasted for it, walked for it in Noakhali.
c) Women Empowerment: He brought women out of homes into freedom struggle — Sarojini Naidu, Kasturba, thousands of nameless sisters.
d) Basic Education (Nai Talim): Education through mother tongue, craft, and character, not just degrees.
4. The Panchayat System — The Dream of Gram Swaraj:
Gandhi said, “India lives in villages.” He dreamt of Gram Swaraj where every village would be a republic — self-sufficient for food, cloth, education and justice. His idea became Article 40 of our Constitution — Panchayati Raj. Today’s Panchayat system in Punjab, in Ludhiana villages, is the direct child of that thought.
He wanted power not in Delhi, but in the village chaupal.
CONCLUSION:
One man tried to save a life through dialogue.
One man chose to give his life to wake up the nation.
One tried to free us from the British.
Both tried to free us from fear.
Respect history. Don’t divide our heroes.
If you want to hate the British, hate the British who hanged Bhagat Singh. Don’t hate the Indian who tried till the last hour to save him.
Jai Hind.
Disclaimer: This post is fact-based and therefore, it is not solely my own work. The information has been compiled from several authentic and reliable sources, which have been duly cited below.
References:
1. Gandhi, M.K. Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG), Vol. 45, pp. 333-334 — Letter to Lord Irwin, 23 March 1931.
2. http://mkgandhi.org — Official website of Gandhi Heritage Portal, Government of India. Text of Gandhi-Irwin correspondence.
3. Indian Annual Register, 1931, Vol. I, p. 86 — Lord Irwin's speech acknowledging Gandhi's appeal for commutation.
4. The Indian Express, Archives — "When Bhagat Singh rebuked his father for writing a mercy plea" (Letter dated 4 Oct 1930).
5. Pol Sci Institute — "Understanding Gandhi’s Idea of Swaraj: Self-Rule and Self-Realization" (On Gram Swaraj, Charkha and Panchayati Raj).
6. Wikipedia — Entry on "Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA)" for overview of formation in 1928 at Feroz Shah Kotla.
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