Delhi conspiracy case

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An illustration of the assassination attempt on Lord Charles Hardinge

The Delhi Conspiracy case, also known as the Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy, refers to an attempt made in 1912 to assassinate the then Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge by throwing local bomb (a self-made), on the occasion of transferring the capital of British India from Calcutta to New Delhi. Hatched by the Indian revolutionary underground in Bengal and Punjab and headed by Rash Behari Bose, the conspiracy culminated in the attempted assassination on 23 December 1912, when a homemade bomb was thrown into the Viceroy's howdah as the ceremonial procession was moving through the Chandni Chowk suburb of Delhi.

Bomb thrown[]

The Viceroy and vicerine were sitting on an elephant and entering the city.[1] Basanta Kumar Biswas a revolutionary from Nadia village threw homemade bomb at the Viceroy who was seated on an elephant. Although injured in the attack, the Viceroy escaped with flesh wounds, but the servant behind him holding his parasol was killed. Lady Hardinge was unscathed; as was the elephant and its mahout (handler). Lord Hardinge himself was injured all over the back, legs, and head by fragments of the bomb, the flesh on his shoulders being torn in strips.[2] Viceroy and Vicerine were making their ceremonial entry to new capital of India, Delhi.[3] The howdah in which they were travelling was blown into pieces and there was some difficulty to remove Viceroy from the back of elephant on which they were travelling. The servant behind him was dead as observed by Vicerine.[3] The man killed was an umbrella bearer and he acted in that capacity to previous viceroy Lord Curzon also.[3]

Injuries to Viceroy[]

Viceroy Hardinge suffered several injuries due to piercing of screws filled in the bomb and they penetrated back and shoulders of Viceroy.[3]

In the aftermath of the event, efforts were made to destroy the Bengali and Punjabi revolutionary underground, which came under intense pressure for some time. Rash Behari Bose,[4] identified as the person who threw the bomb, successfully evaded capture for nearly three years, becoming involved in the Ghadar Conspiracy before it was uncovered, then fleeing to Japan in 1915.

Aftermath[]

A reward of Rs.10,000 (approximately $3,300) was announced for the arrest of bomb thrower and the identity was not immediately know to Government agencies. [3] The investigations in the aftermath of the assassination attempt led to the Delhi Conspiracy trial. The case was filed against Lala Hanumant Sahai, Basanta Kumar Biswas, Bhai Balmukund, Amir Chand and Avadh Behari. On 5 October 1914 Lala Hanumant Sahai was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Andaman Islands, and the other four were sentenced to death for their roles in the conspiracy. Basanta Kumar Biswas was hanged on 11 May 1915 at Ambala Central Jail in Punjab aged twenty and became one of the youngest people to be executed during the Indian revolutionary struggles during the 20th century.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jozuka, Emiko (10 May 2020). "he Indian revolutionary who fought to overthrow British rule while living in Japan". CNN. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  2. ^ "India Truly Loyal, Says Hardinge" (PDF). New York Times. 20 May 1916.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Viceroy of India is injured by Bomb Attendant killed". UCR Centre for Bibliographical studies and research. UCR. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  4. ^ Indian Freedom Fighters by Vipin Chandra

Bibliography[]

  • Gupta, Amit K. (1997), "Defying Death: Nationalist Revolutionism in India, 1897��1938", Social Scientist, 25 (9/10. (Sep.–Oct., 1997), pp. 3–27, ISSN 0970-0293
  • Hopkirk, Peter (1997), Like Hidden Fire: The Plot to Bring Down the British Empire, Kodansha Globe, ISBN 1-56836-127-0

External links[]

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