On 13 March 1940, Sardar Udham Singh avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by going to London and shooting O’Dwyer. Udham Singh was born on 26 December 1899 in Sunam (historians differ slightly about the exact date and place). In childhood, his name was Sher Singh, and his elder brother was named Sadhu Singh. After receiving Amrit, their father Chuhar Singh Kamboj became known as Tehal Singh. He worked as a gatekeeper at a railway crossing near the village of Upli. Sher Singh was only two years old when his mother passed away. Sadhu Singh was five years older than Sher Singh. The family’s condition was not good. Tehal Singh decided to take his two children to Amritsar to his kirtaniya relative, Chanchal Singh. On the way, he fell ill. By chance, he met Chanchal Singh, and Tehal Singh was admitted to the Civil Hospital in Amritsar, where he passed away. The two children became orphans. Their care then fell upon Chanchal Singh. Since he was a kirtaniya and often had to travel, he worried about how to look after the children. So he admitted both boys to the Central Khalsa Orphanage in Amritsar. The orphanage had a practice: every child had to receive Amrit. Sher Singh and Sadhu Singh were also initiated. Sher Singh was renamed Udham Singh, and Sadhu Singh was renamed Mota Singh (some historians write “Mukta Singh”). The two brothers grew up in the orphanage and also learned handicrafts there. Sher Singh—now Udham Singh—kept switching interests: sometimes making chairs, sometimes doing tailoring, sometimes learning tabla, sometimes sitting as a kirtaniya. Even as a child, he did not have a nature of sticking to one task for long. This trait stayed with him to the end—he would change his name during almost every journey. In 1913, his elder brother Sadhu Singh (Mota Singh) died of pneumonia. For Sher Singh, his brother had been like a father. He became deeply sorrowful, cried at night, and searched for his parents and brother among the stars. Gradually, he regained composure and passed the 10th grade. While going to school from the orphanage or returning, and even while going for darshan at Sri Harmandir Sahib, he would often witness the British punishing people—whipping someone, forcing someone to do sit-ups. He felt distressed and tried to understand why such punishments were given. He learned that if a British officer passed by on horseback and a shopkeeper or passerby failed to salute him—even unintentionally—the person could be whipped or forced to do humiliating punishments. This behavior filled Udham Singh’s heart with hatred and contempt toward British rule, and that anger only grew with time. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April 1919 sparked a wave of outrage across India. In fact, the seeds had been sown as early as the Defence of India Act (1915), and the Rowlatt Act further nourished them—meant to tighten control over Indians. Anyone could be arrested on suspicion—no trial, no hearing, no complaint process; direct punishment such as transportation or life imprisonment; no appeal, no argument, no lawyer. Fearing protests and marches, the British arrested public leaders Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal in Amritsar and detained them in Dalhousie. In protest—and to demand their release—Punjabis including Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims gathered at Jallianwala Bagh. It was Baisakhi day. Some devotees who had come to bow at Darbar Sahib also joined the gathering. General Dyer had imposed Section 144, banning assemblies. Acting on an informer’s report, Dyer arrived and, without warning, ordered indiscriminate firing on the unarmed crowd. According to non-official figures, over 1,000 people were killed and over 1,200 were injured. The Civil Surgeon of Amritsar reportedly stated that 1,800 deaths occurred. It is also said that Udham Singh was serving water there with fellow orphanage boys, witnessed the brutality with his own eyes, bathed at Darbar Sahib, and vowed to take revenge. Udham Singh had read the biography of Kartar Singh Sarabha and had heard about Madan Lal Dhingra. After Jallianwala Bagh, the very purpose of his life changed. His vow was fulfilled 21 years later, on 13 March 1940, when at around 3 PM in Caxton Hall, Westminster—during a joint meeting of the East Indian Association and the Central Asian Society—Udham Singh fired upon Michael O’Dwyer and his associates. O’Dwyer collapsed on the steps of the platform and died. Lord Zetland and Lord Lamington were wounded. When the news spread, it felt as if London was shaken. From five files (771 pages) released by the British government in June 1997, it emerges that Udham Singh did not fire only at Michael O’Dwyer; he fired six shots at four British officers. O’Dwyer was killed on the spot, while the others were injured. All of them had served as governors in India and opposed India’s independence. Author: Zorawar Singh Tarsikka For a full twenty-one years, the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy burned like fire in Udham Singh’s chest, and the screams of innocent, unarmed Punjabis echoed in his ears. In his attempts to reach General Dyer, he used many names—Udai Singh, Sher Singh, Udan Singh, Udham Singh, Mohammed Singh Azad, Azad Singh, Baba, Frank Brazil, and others. Perhaps few revolutionaries changed their identities so often to achieve their mission. He not only changed names—he travelled across different countries and continents, sometimes by road and sometimes across seas. Until the mission was accomplished, he never lived in peace. He met Ghadar veterans and stayed connected with revolutionaries, arranging weapons for them as well. Interestingly, his manner was such that many companions thought of him as merely boastful and did not take his words seriously. They would even mock him: “You will never set the waters of the Thames on fire.” On 13 March 1940, Udham Singh truly “set the waters of the Thames on fire.” Even his friends in England were stunned. Across Britain, India, and the world, people began speaking of his daring act. After killing Michael O’Dwyer and wounding his associates, Udham Singh did not flee the scene. In photographs from the moment, he appears smiling, filled with pride. Udham Singh knew he would be sentenced to death. He said, “I am going to join my martyred comrades.
Please log in to comment.
