23 March is celebrated as Martyrs' Day, which marks the death anniversary of the trilogy, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, who were revolutionaries and fought against the British Government for the freedom of India. This day is celebrated to commemorate the contribution of the three revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives for their motherland. They contributed immensely towards the freedom movement shaping the youth and motivating them to join the movement. The trio was sentenced to death as they were convicted of throwing bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly. Although hanging of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev scheduled on 24 March 1931, but on 17[SUP]th[/SUP] March 1931, the Home Secretary of Punjab has sent a telegram to the Home Department, New Delhi, fixing the execution on 23 March 1931. On 23[SUP]rd[/SUP] March 1931, Bhagat Singh with his comrades Sukhdev and Rajguru was hanged in Lahore Jail at 7.30 pm. Owing to the fear of agitation from the masses, the jail authorities broke the rear wall of the jail, cremated the three martyrs on the banks of the Sutlej and threw their ashes into the river, about 10 km from Ferozepur. Shaheed Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh, an Indian revolutionary was born on 28[SUP]th[/SUP] September 1907 in Lyallpur, Punjab (present day Pakistan) to a Jat Sikh family. He belonged to a family of patriots and hence can be said that patriotism flowed in his blood and he knew everything about the revolutionaries of his family by the time he completed his secondary education. While he was just 13 year old, he joined the freedom movement. Bhagat Singh joined the Young Revolutionary Movement and later formed a group called 'Naujavan Bharat Sabha' which consisted of young Patriotic Indians where he was appointed as the Secretary as well he was introduced to Chandrasekhar Azad, another young revolutionary, with whom he formed a great bond. During this time he came in touch with Lala Lajpat Rai and became his follower, where he also met Sukhdev and Rajguru. In 1928, an all-parties procession, led by Lala Lajpat Rai, marched towards the Lahore railway station to protest against the arrival of the Simon Commission. Stopping the procession, police made a lathi charge at the activists and during this Lala Lajpat Rai was severely injured which led to his death. As an avenge to the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh and his associates plotted the assassination of Scott, the Superintendent of Police, believed to have ordered the lathi charge. However, by mistake J.P. Saunders, an Assistant Superintendent of Police was killed instead of Scott. In order to avoid his arrest, he left Lahore and fled to Calcutta. To hide his identity he shaved his beard and cut his hair and there he met Batukeshwar Dutt who became his good friend. In response to the formulation of Defence of India Act, the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association planned to explode a bomb inside the assembly premises, where the ordinance was going to be passed. On April 8 1929 Bhagat Singh along with Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb onto the corridors of the assembly while shouting 'Inquilab Zindabad!' The bomb was not meant to kill or injure anyone and therefore it was thrown away from the crowded place. Owing to this bomb blast, both of them were arrested. Along with Sukhdev and Rajguru, Bhagat Singh was accused of the murder of J. P. Saunders and was given death sentence. Shaheed Sukhdev Sukhdev was an Indian revolutionary born on 15[SUP]th[/SUP] May 1907 in Ludhiana, Punjab. He was involved with Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Shivaram Rajguru in the killing of a British police officer J.P. Saunders in 1928 in order to take revenge for the death of veteran leader Lala Lajpat Rai due to excessive police beating. Sukhdev was an active member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, being one of its most senior leaders. He started study circles at National College, (Lahore) in order to probe into India’s past as well as to analyze the finer aspects of world revolutionary literature and the Russian Revolution. Along with Bhagat Singh, Comrade Ram Chandra and Bhagwati Charan Vohra, he together with Bhagat Singh started Naujawan Bharat Sabha at Lahore. Sukhdev also participated in the 1929 Prison hunger strike to protest against the inhuman treatment of inmates. He was arrested after the Central Assembly Hall bombings in New Delhi (8 April 1929), along with his comrades Bhagat Singh and Rajguru and convicted them for their crime, facing the death sentence as verdict. Shaheed Rajguru Sriram Rajguru another revolutionary of India’s freedom movement was born on August 24, 1908 at Khed near Pune. He came to Varanasi at a very early age where he learnt Sanskrit and read the Hindu religious scriptures. While at Varanasi, he came in contact with some of the revolutionaries and joined the freedom struggle. He then became an active member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (H.S.R.A) and was known in the party under the pseudonym of Raghunath. Here he came in touch with other prominent revolutionaries such as Chandra Shekhar Azad, Sardar Bhagat Singh and Jatin Das and he became associated with them closely. Rajguru was a good shot and was regarded as the gunman of the party. He took part in various activities of the revolutionary movement, the most important being Saunder’s murder. Lala Lajpat Rai, an eminent nationalist leader and popular amongst the revolutionaries, was fatally wounded in a police lathi- charge on 20 October 1928, while leading a procession against the Simon Commission, and died on 17 November 1928. He was involved in the murder of J.P. Saunders with Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev. After the bombing in the Central Legislative Assembly in 1929, he along with his comrades Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev was arrested and given death sentence. On 23[SUP]rd[/SUP] March every year, to commemorate the contribution of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, Martyr’s Day is celebrated. On this particular day, every Indian should remember the trio for their contribution and sacrifice in framing the nation and motivating the youth. Bhagat Singh is considered to be an icon of the youth and the trio is known for their bravery, fearlessness and immense love for their motherland. On this day, every Proud Indian should pledge to fight against all the evils that exist in our country and make it a better as well as developed nation.
