Chandra Shekhar Azad is an important freedom fighter who played a crucial role in the independence struggle of India. So his life history should be a part of your IAS preparation.
In this article, you can read his brief biography and contributions to the freedom movement for the IAS exam.
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What happened?
Great revolutionary freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad shot himself when he had one last bullet left in a shootout with the police at Alfred Park in Allahabad. The park is now named Chandrashekhar Azad Park.
Biography of Chandrashekhar Azad
- Chandra Shekhar Azad was born Chandra Shekhar Tiwari to Sitaram and Jagrani Devi on July 23, 1906, at Bhavra, Alirajpur District in present-day Madhya Pradesh. Bhavra was then part of the Central India Agency, British India.
- Azad was sent to Banaras to study at the Kashi Vidyapeeth. When he was 15 years old, he joined the non-cooperation movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi.
- The young boy was arrested because he participated in the movement. When produced by the magistrate, he proudly announced his name as ‘Azad’, his father’s name as ‘Swatantrata’ and his place of dwelling as ‘Jail’. It was from then on that the name ‘Azad’ stuck to him.
- Azad was disappointed when Gandhi withdrew the non-cooperation movement owing to the violence at Chauri Chaura. He then got acquainted with Ram Prasad Bismil, one of the founders of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). He then became a revolutionary and started collecting funds for HRA’s activities.
- The group of young patriots started looting government properties to meet their expenses for their revolutionary activities. Azad was involved in the 1925 Kakori Conspiracy.
- Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan were captured by the government and hanged, but Azad eluded capture.
- In other cases, Azad was involved in the shooting of J P Saunders in 1928 and the 1929 attempt to blow up the viceroy’s train. Saunders was assassinated to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.
- Azad was an excellent marksman and also trained his fellow revolutionaries in firearms. He used the Orchha forest for his training.
- He was a close associate of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and others and transformed the HRA into the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928.
- On 27 February 1931, an informant tipped the police about Azad’s presence at Alfred Park in Allahabad.
- The police arrived there and there ensued a shootout between the police and the revolutionaries.
- Azad got injured while defending himself and his friend. He had made a resolve never to be captured alive. When he had all but one bullet left, he shot himself dead. This also enabled his friend to escape. Chandra Shekhar Azad was only 24 years old.
- The police cremated his body without informing the public. When the people came to know about the incident, there was a big protest.
- Chandra Shekhar Azad is truly a hero of the highest order, who sacrificed himself for the sake of the nation. Today, there are several public institutes and places named after him.
Chandrashekar Azad: UPSC Notes – Download PDF Here
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