Thread by @sheshapatangi1

Communists created a brand Bhagath Singh, but never honoured #SukhdevThapar and #ShivramRajguru as they didn’t fit in their propaganda.
Belated tributes for a legendary, albeit hardly remembered freedom fighter Sukhdev on his Jayanti.
Read On...
Sukhdev, though less popular and

less written about than his best friend Bhagat Singh, was a fearless man of exceptional integrity, who cared about the smallest needs of his party HRSA and its members.
Shiva Verma, who was awarded life imprisonment in the Lahore Conspiracy Case, writes on Sukhdev's character

in his memoirs, "Sansmrityiaan", preserved with the National Archives, Delhi: "In reality, Bhagat was the political mentor of the Punjab party; Sukhdev was the organiser who built its edifice brick by brick.
Sukhdev Thapar was born in Ludhiana, on 15 May 1908 to Ramlal Thapar

and Ralli Devi.
Not much is known about his childhood or education except he was brought up by his uncle Lala Achintram after his father's demise.
He joined the National College in 1921 and came in contact with Bhagat Singh, Bhagwati Charan Vohra and Yashpal. He joined the

underground revolutionary organisation Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) which declared itself socialist in 1928.
In a letter to Gandhi, written some days prior to the hanging on March 23, 1931, Sukhdev wrote, "The three prisoners of the Lahore conspiracy case who have been

awarded capital punishment, who have incidentally gained greatest popularity in the country are not everything in D revolutionary party. In fact, the country will not gain as much by the change of their sentences as it would by their being hanged."
Sukhdev was, in fact,

the prime accused in the Lahore Conspiracy Case. Being the Punjab chief of HSRA, he was the man behind Saunders murder and assembly bomb drop plot."
The FIR of the Lahore Conspiracy Case, filed by Hamilton Harding, senior superintendent of police, in the court of R.S. Pandit,

special magistrate in April 1929, mentions Sukhdev as accused number 1. It describes him as Swami,son of Ram Lal, caste Thapar Khatri.

In a list of 25 accused, Bhagat is on the 12th position, while Rajguru is on the 20th position.
Another truth about the martyr is revealed

through the judgment of the Lahore Conspiracy Case, 1930. Its title reads "In the court of The Lahore Conspiracy Case Tribunal, Lahore, constituted under Ordinance no III of 1930: The Crown Complainant versus Sukhdev and others". The fact that
Sukhdev, despite his indirect

involvement in the conspiracy, was tried as principal accused, confirms his importance in HSRA. He was the mover of all major decisions.

tribuneindia.com/2007/20070513/…

The Lahore Conspiracy Case judgment places him in a new league.

After gathering dust in the National Archives for decades, the full judgment was published in 2005 by Waraich and Gurdev Sidhu. Part of the book, The Hanging of Bhagat Singh, the judgment sums up Sukhdev's role in the conspiracy. It states: "Sukhdev may be said to be the brains

to the conspiracy while Bhagat Singh was its right arm.

Sukhdev was an organizer and zealous in recruiting members and finding work suitable to the capacity of each. He was backward in taking part himself in acts of violence but he must be nonetheless held responsible for those

acts to the execution of which his brains and organizing power made important contribution."
In his last letter Oct 7, 1930 (the day the judgment was pronounced), Sukhdev criticised mindless acts of violence and justified HSRA actions as the ones that sought to fulfill peoples

aspirations.
He wrote, "Take the case of Saunders murder. When Lala (Lala Lajpat Rai) received lathi blows, there was unrest in the country. This was a good opportunity to draw peoples attention towards the party. That's how the murder was planned. To run away after the murder

was not our plot.
We wished to enlighten people that it was a political murder and its perpetrators were revolutionaries. Our actions were always in response to peoples grievances. We wanted to infuse revolutionary ideals in the public and the expression of such ideals looks

more glorified from the mouth of one who stands on the gallows for the cause." A certified copy of this letter was sent by Punjab CID to the Home Department.

Sukhdev's letter to Gandhi is also a fine reflection of his ideals. "The aim of revolutionaries is to establish a

socialist republic in the country. There is no possibility of even a slight amendment to this goal. I think you believe the revolutionaries are irrational people who enjoy destructive actions. I want to tell you that the truth is quite the opposite. They know their

responsibilities and they hold the constructive elements high in their revolutionary constitution even though in the present circumstances, they have to attend to their destructive side only," he wrote.
Neverthless, Gandhi made a pact with Irwin & didn't ask for clemency,

this link from Gandhi's archives provides enough evidence about his lack of action and commitment to save the brave souls.
gandhiheritageportal.org/gandhi-irwin-p…
On 23-3-1931, Thapar was hanged in Lahore jail, along with Bhagat Singh and Shivam Rajguru.

The Martyrs were secretly cremated at the banks of the River Sutlej.
Their death caused riots, left 100s dead and GANDHI WAS BEATEN UP, this never made it into Bharat's Press but made it to NewYork Times.

#ForgottenHeroes
#VANDEMATARAM

nytimes.com/1931/03/26/arc…