Shadman Chowk renamed as Bhagat Singh Chowk in Lahore

Bhagat Singh Chowk: Is the new name of Shadman Chowk located in the Eastern City of Lahore (Pakistan)

The Shadman Chowk in the eastern city of Lahore (Pakistan) on 29 September 2012 was renamed as Bhagat Singh Chowk on the 105th birth anniversary of the revolutionary freedom fighter and martyr, Bhagat Singh. This came up in result of the demand from the peace activists for renaming the Chowk by the name of Bhagat Singh. Noorul Amin Mengal, the District Coordination Officer directed the City District Government to rename Shadman Chowk as Bhagat Singh Chowk.

It was Shadman Chowk roundabout, where Bhagat Singh along with his two companions Sukhdev Singh and Rajguru were hanged on 23 March 1931 in the then Lahore Jail for their alleged involvement in the Lahore Conspiracy Case. Till 1947, the Chowk was named after the name of Bhagat Singh, later it was renamed to be Shadman Chowk.

Bhagat Singh

Bhagat Singh born of 28 September 1907 and hanged on 23 March 1931, was one of the greatest martyrs of the Indian Freedom Struggle against the British Empire. He has been termed as the most influential revolutionists of his time in the Indian History. Referred to be a Saheed, Bhagat singh as a teenager studied the revolutionary movements of European Countries and was attracted towards the Marxists and Anarchist thoughts.

Some of the revolutionary acts of Bhagat Singh 1. Killed the then Assistant Superintendent of Police John P. Saunders in a plot to kill the Superintendent of Police James A. Scott
2. In 1915, when the British Government planned to implement the Defence India Act, 1915 Bhagat Singh along with Batukeshwar Dutt threw 2 bombs in the visitor’s gallery of the Central Legislative Hall shouting Inquilab Zindabad and showered leaflets to with slogans against the Public Safety and Trades Dispute Bills. Both surrendered themselves in the hands of British police claiming the incident was intentional (this act was done in the influence of the news about the French anarchist who threw a bomb in the French Chamber of Deputies)

Hunger strike and Lahore conspiracy case
1. He along with few more revolutionaries went on a hunger strike of 116 days to protest against the inequalities, which were being done against the Indian Prisoners to that of the British Prisoners in the jail premises.
2. On 7 October 1930, a three hundred page judgment by the tribunal that he faced along with the duo Rajguru and Sukhdev declared their sentence of being hanged till death in the Lahore Conspiracy Case
3. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, the trio were hanged on 24 March 1931 few hours before the original time decided on the Shadman Chowk again renamed as Bhagat Singh Chowk in Lahore.

Bhagat Singh’s Dairy and Pamphlet
1. During his term in jail and by the time he was hanged, the martyr who had the habit of maintaining a dairy wrote 404 pages. Views from Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were the prominent ones available in the dairy.
2. In the prison he also wrote a small pamphlet with title Why I am an Atheist