Madan Lal Dhingra
|
Date of Birth |
: |
1887 |
Date of Death |
: |
Aug 17, 1909 |
Place of Birth |
: |
Punjab |
Madan
Lal Dhingra was an Indian political activist studying in England, where
he murdered Sir Curzon Wylie, a British MP, which is hailed as one of
the first acts of revolution in the Indian independence movement in the
20th century. Madan Lal Dhingra was born in 1887 to a prosperous Hindu
family in the province of Punjab. His father was a wealthy civil
surgeon.
In 1906, Madan Lal departed for England to join the
University College, London, to study Mechanical Engineering. Dhingra's
family were loyalists of the British, and disowned him after his
expulsion from college in Lahore owing to illicit political activities.
Dhingra had to work as a clerk, a tonga (rickshaw) puller, and a factory
laborer. Dhingra attempted to organize a union there, but was sacked.
He worked for sometime in Bombay, before acting upon the advice of his
elder brother and going to England for higher studies. He was supported
by his elder brother and some nationalist activists in England. Dhingra
came into contact with noted Indian political activists Vinayak Damodar
Savarkar and Krishna Verma, who were impressed by Dhingra's perseverance
and intense patriotism, and turned his focus to the freedom struggle.
Savarkar believed in revolution by any means, and supposedly gave
Dhingra arms training, apart from membership in a secretive society, the
Abhinav Bharat Sanstha. He was also a member of India House, the base
for Indian student political activity. During this period, Savarkar,
Dhingra and other student activists were enraged by the execution of
freedom fighters such as Khudiram Bose, Kannai Dutt, Satinder Pal and
Kanshi Ram in India. It is this event that is attributed by many
historians as having led Savarkar and Dhingra scheme of exacting direct
revenge upon the British. On the evening of July 1, 1909, a large number
of Indians and Englishmen had gathered to attend the annual day
function of the Indian National Association. When Sir Curzon Wyllie, a
prominent British member of Parliament entered the hall with his wife,
Dhingra fired five shots right at his face. Cowasji Lalkaka, a Parsee
doctor who tried to save Sir Curzon, died of Madan Lal's sixth bullet,
which he fired in self-defence because Lalkaka caught hold of him.
Dhingra did not resist arrest. Dhingra was tried in Old Bailey Court on
July 23. He stated that he did not intend to kill Cowasji Lalkar, which
was purely accidental. Nevertheless, he was sentenced to death. After
the judge announced his judgement, Dhingra stated, "I am proud to have
the honour of laying down my life for my country. But remember we shall
have our time in the days to come." Dhingra was hanged on August 17,
1909.