At a meeting of the East India Association and the Royal Central Asian Society that was taking place at Caxton Hall in London on March 13, 1940, Udham Singh fatally shot Michael O’Dwyer, precisely 83 years ago.
At the time of the massacre, O’Dwyer was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab and had supported Brigadier-General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer’s actions. Lord Zetland, the Secretary of State for India, Sir Louis Dane, and Baron Lamington were also shot and injured by Udham Singh.
On April 13, 1919, at the festival of Baisakhi, British forces led by Colonel Reginald Dyer opened fire on a large, unarmed crowd at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, killing hundreds and injuring more than 1,000. A turning point in the Indian Independence movement was the massacre. Udham Singh, a young person, was also present during the incident to witness the entire carnage. He promised himself to teach a lesson to General Dyer and then-Punjab Governor Michael O’Dwyer after seeing piles of his people’s dead bodies.
After his birth in 1899 at Sunam in the Sangrur district of Punjab, Udham Singh was initially named Sher Singh. He and his brother spent most of their childhood in an orphanage after both of their parents died when they were young. He was given the name Udham Singh at the orphanage. He passed his matriculation exam in 1918.
Udham Singh’s dream of avenging the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that had taken him to many countries. He travelled to numerous nations with other Indian revolutionaries, settling in London. In 1920, he went to Africa and tried to go to the United States, but he failed initially. He made it to America in 1924. During his three years there, he oversaw revolutionary activities, establishing close connections with the Ghadar Party and assisting in establishing the Overseas Indians Association.
With over a dozen helpers and a stash of weapons, Singh left India in 1927; he was arrested shortly after and sentenced to five years under the Arms Act. He maintained a low profile after his release in October 1931, resumed underground activities, and looked for ways to reach Britain simultaneously. The police constantly monitored him. However, in 1933, he gave the authorities the slip and fled to Europe. He reached London in 1934 after travelling through several nations.
Udham Singh joined a socialist organization that advocated for Indian workers and stayed in a house in East London. He started to prepare for the important secretly. Udham Singh had waited for this day for such a long time. Finally, he got an opportunity to accomplish his mission.
Michael O’Dwyer was scheduled to speak at a meeting of the East India Association and the Central Asian Society, now known as the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, on March 13, 1940, in London’s Caxton Hall. Singh entered the event. He had concealed a revolver within a book with revolver-shaped pages. Udham Singh bought this gun from an officer in a bar. Then he entered the lobby and looked for an empty seat. Singh shot O’Dwyer two rounds as he approached the stage after the meeting. O’Dwyer was struck in the heart and right lung by one of these bullets, resulting in his death almost immediately.
Sir Louis Dane was among the others wounded in the shooting; Second Marquess of Zetland Lawrence Dundas; and Baron Lamington, Charles Cochrane-Baillie. Following the shooting, Singh was taken into custody right away.
Singh was formally charged with murdering Michael O’Dwyer on 1 April 1940, and he was remanded in custody at Brixton Prison. When Singh was initially questioned about his motivations, he stated:
“I did it because I had a grudge against him. He deserved it. I don’t belong to society or anything else. I don’t care. I don’t mind dying. What is the use of waiting until you get old? … Is Zetland dead? He ought to be. I put two into him? I bought the revolver from a soldier in a public house. My parents died when I was three or four. Only one dead? I thought I could get more.”
On June 4, 1940, his preliminary started at the central criminal Court, Old Bailey, before Mr Justice Atkinson, with V.K. Krishna Menon and St John Hutchinson addressing him. Barrister for the prosecution was G. B. McClure. Udham Singh was asked about his motivation, and he replied:
“I did it out of resentment toward him. He was due it. The real culprit was him. I crushed him because he wanted to crush my people’s spirit. I have attempted to exact revenge for all 21 of those years. I am pleased with my performance. Death does not scare me. I will die for my nation. I’ve witnessed my people starving under British rule in India. It was my duty to protest against this.”
Singh was found guilty of murder and given the death penalty. Albert Pierrepoint executed Singh at Pentonville Prison on July 31, 1940. The Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, houses his relics.
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