On April 18, in the year 1898, a 28-year-old young man ascended the gallows in the Yerwada Jail of Pune, clutching a copy of Lokmanya Tilak’s Gita Rahasya, and smilingly placed the noose around his own neck. That man was Damodar Hari Chapekar, the eldest of the Chapekar brothers, whose daring assassination of British Plague Commissioner Walter Charles Rand marked one of the earliest acts of armed revolution against the oppressive British Raj.
Though largely forgotten by the mainstream historical discourse, Damodar Chapekar’s legacy lives on in the hearts of those who seek to reclaim the true story of India’s freedom struggle—one that was not merely won through petitions and negotiations but through courage, sacrifice, and unflinching patriotism.
Damodar Hari Chapekar (eldest of the Chapekar brothers) was hanged by the British on Apr 18, 1898, for the assassination of Commissioner Rand in #Pune (22 June 1897).
The other two #ChapekarBrothers Balkrishna Hari Chapekar and Vasudeo Hari Chapekar were hanged in 1899.
The… pic.twitter.com/XzVPsYqyzS
— Amit Paranjape (@aparanjape) April 18, 2025
Born on June 25, 1869, in Chinchwad near Pune, Damodar came from a devout and culturally rich family. His father, Haripant Chapekar, was a renowned Kirtankar—a traditional devotional storyteller. Damodar and his younger brothers, Balkrishna (b. 1873) and Vasudev (b. 1879), grew up immersed in Kirtan, recitations, and the spirit of Swaraj—an idea that grew increasingly potent under the influence of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak and his nationalist publication Kesari.
Young Damodar was a man of many talents: he was a keen singer, poet, and physical fitness enthusiast. But above all, he was a passionate patriot. Tilak’s arrest deeply affected him—he refused to eat, wept inconsolably, until his mother offered him words of steel: “Tilak taught us to fight, not cry.”
Birth of ‘Rashtra Hitechhu Mandal’
Determined to serve the motherland, Damodar formed the ‘Rashtra Hitechhu Mandal’ (Association of National Well-wishers), a youth group that believed in physical strength, moral resolve, and nationalist unity. The news of revolutionary Vasudev Balwant Phadke’s death in British custody further ignited the fire of rebellion. At Sinhagad Fort, the brothers vowed to carry forward Phadke’s incomplete mission.
Damodar’s attempts to join the British army were denied—perhaps a blessing in disguise. He instead turned to mass communication through devotional performances and fiery public speeches, skillfully using Kirtan as a vehicle for political awakening.
Atrocities during the plague epidemic
The tinderbox moment came in 1897, when a deadly plague struck Pune. Appointed as Plague Commissioner, Walter Charles Rand enforced inhuman, intrusive policies: forcefully entering homes with boots on, violating sacred spaces, and misbehaving with women. These egregious acts of colonial violence provoked widespread outrage.
Tilak and Agarkar condemned the British tyranny through their writings, leading to their imprisonment. The Chapekar brothers decided that enough was enough. Inspired by Shivaji’s resistance against oppression, the trio resolved to assassinate Rand and his aide, Lt. Ayerst.
22 June 1897: The night the empire trembled
On the night of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, the British celebrated with pomp at a club in Pune. As Rand and Ayerst left the festivities, Damodar leapt onto Rand’s carriage and fired shots, critically wounding him. Simultaneously, Balkrishna shot Ayerst, who died instantly. Rand succumbed to his injuries days later on July 3, 1897.
It was not just an act of retribution—it was a thunderclap that shattered the illusion of British invincibility.
In the days that followed, the British scrambled to identify the assailants. A reward of Rs 20,000 led to betrayal by the Dravid brothers, former associates of the Chapekars. Damodar was arrested, followed by Balkrishna. In an act of righteous vengeance, Vasudev Chapekar and Vinayak Ranade executed the betrayers and even attacked a constable who had persecuted their family.
On April 18, 1898, Damodar Hari Chapekar embraced veergati. Balkrishna and Vasudev followed in 1899, all executed by hanging. Their associate Ranade was also sent to the gallows. Thus, a family of patriots was annihilated—but their spirit became immortal.
Despite their sacrifice, the Chapekar brothers were sidelined in mainstream history. Their contribution was buried under the glorification of a select few. Yet, their valor left an indelible mark. A young Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, deeply inspired by their courage, went on to become a firebrand revolutionary himself.
In recent years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referenced the Chapekars in Parliament, calling out the systematic erasure of revolutionary heroes by historians loyal to one political dynasty. “The great sin of forgetting real heroes like the Chapekars,” he said, “must be corrected. The truth must come out.”
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