Sunday 17 May 2015

Shahid Mahabir Singh-martyred 17th May 1933 at Cellular jail with hunger strike


Born on 16th September 1904 AT SHAHPUR TEHLAN VILLAGE OF ETAH DISTRICT IN UTTAR PRADESH,,MAHAVIR SINGH was one of very close comrades of Bhagat Singh.He joined revolutionary movement from his college days in Kanpur along with Shiv Verma,Jaidev Kapoor etc. and stayed in Lahore also.He was transported for life in Lahore conspiracy case and was subjected to tortures in jail .He got thirty lashes for challenging jail superintendent's cruel conduct.He was a rebel from childhood and shouted Mahatma Gandhi ki Jai,when some toady feudals were holding meeting in favour of British colonialists in his village.His father Devi Singh Vaid supported him for his decision to work for the nation and did not insist on marrying him.He died of forced feeding in Andamans on 17th May 1933, on sixth day of his hunger strike,the milk entered his lungs.Earlier he had observed 63 days hunger strike with fellow revolutionaries in Lahore jail,which took the life of Jatin Das.British jailors threw his body in the sea and his family came to about his sacrifice only many days after from a small news item in some newspaper.I visited Shahpur Tehlan village few years ago and here are some photographs of that visit-of the area,of village,Mahavir Singh's relatives and his statue in the village.Revolutionaries spent time in this village and Bhagat Singh had also stayed here.My tribute to Mahavir Singh on his martyrdom day today.Incidentally President Pratibha Patil has some distant relationship with Mahavir Singh family and had earlier visited the village also.


Added Photographs related to martyr Mahabir Singh in Cellular Jail Andamans taken during my visit in June 2012.Irony is that Martyrs park in front of Cellurlar Jail is named after a non martyr and controversial person Veer Savarkar, who had sent apologies from Andamans to British colonial regime and never participated in hunger strikes against jail atrocities undertaken by Ghadarite and other revolutionaries My tributes to his unknown martyrdom for many days to the family and nation, as his body was thrown into sea and family was never informed. Only a small news appeared after many days in some Allahabad Hindi paper, which made nation and family know about his martyrdom.