Recently, statues of the Kakori train action martyrs were allegedly demolished using a bulldozer during road construction work in Shahjahanpur, sparking outrage.
1. Key Facts of the Incident
Date: August 9, 1925.
Location: Kakori, a small village near Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Target: The 8-Down Train traveling from Saharanpur to Lucknow, which was carrying government treasury money.
Organization Involved: The Hindustan Republican Association (HRA).
Objective: To secure funds for the HRA’s revolutionary activities and to challenge the authority of the British Raj through a high-profile act of resistance.
2. Important Personalities Involved
Ram Prasad Bismil: The main mastermind and leader of the operation.
Ashfaqullah Khan: The first Muslim to be hanged in a conspiracy case against the British Raj.
Chandrashekhar Azad: Managed to escape the police net after the incident and later reorganized the HRA into the HSRA.
Other key participants: Thakur Roshan Singh, Rajendra Lahiri, Sachindra Bakshi, Keshab Chakravarty, Banwari Lal, Mukundi Lal, and Manmath Nath Gupta.
3. Consequences and Legal Trial
The Kakori Conspiracy Case: A long legal battle ensued. The British government arrested around 40 revolutionaries.
Sentences:
Death Penalty (Hanging): Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Thakur Roshan Singh, and Rajendra Lahiri.
Deportation (Kala Pani): Sachindra Sanyal and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee.
4. HRA vs. HSRA: Key Differences
Feature
HRA (1924)
HSRA (1928)
Influential Text
The Revolutionary (Manifesto).
The Philosophy of the Bomb (by Bhagwati Charan Vohra).
Key Events
Armed struggle and dacoities for funds (e.g., Kakori).
Responsible for the J.P. Saunders assassination in 1928 to avenge Lala Lajpat Rai’s death and Central Assembly Bombing (1929): To protest the Public Safety Bill and Trade Dispute Bill.
UPSC Prelims Pointers: Bandi Jiwan: Written by Sachindra Nath Sanyal; it served as the “Bible” for HRA revolutionaries.“To make the deaf hear”: The slogan used by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt during the Assembly Bombing to explain that their intent was not to kill, but to protest repressive laws.
With reference to the Kakori Conspiracy, consider the following statements:
1. It took place near Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. 2. The target was a train carrying government treasury money. 3. It was carried out by the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: A
Explanation: • Statement 1 is correct: The Kakori Train Action (historically known as the Kakori Conspiracy) took place on August 9, 1925, at Kakori, a small village located near Lucknow in present-day Uttar Pradesh. • Statement 2 is correct: The revolutionaries targeted the 8-Down Train traveling from Saharanpur to Lucknow. Their objective was to seize the British government treasury money being transported in the guard's van to fund their revolutionary activities and purchase weaponry. • Statement 3 is incorrect: The action was carried out by the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA). The HSRA (Hindustan Socialist Republican Association) was not formed until September 1928 at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, following the reorganization of the HRA by Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh.
