Today, Mahatma Gandhi started famous Bharat Chhodo Andolan, in 1942 prompting Britishers to leave 5 years later, eventually. We all remember this from our favourite text books. However, there was another dare-devil act, which took place on same day, 17 years earlier and shook the mighty pride of the British - The Kakori Rail Dacoity, but failed to find many text books.These two incidents are no coincidence. Infact, Bharat Chhodo Andolan itself was launched in memory of Kakori Rail Dacoity.
Kakori, near Lucknow is now famous for it's Kebabs and Mangos. But for the locals and a few interested ones, it's much more than mere that . The brilliant planning and execution of the plot by a handful, patriotic, amateur revolutionaries can be adjudged by the fact that only one life was lost, that too by a stray bullet. Mind you, the act was not done for the loot. It was done mainly as an act of rebellion.
Crestfallen by the calling off of non-cooperation movement, some youths formed Hindustan Republican Association( HRA) in October 1924. A selected group of ten from HRA carried out the robbery on 8 Down train on August 9, 1925. The magnificent ten included the planner - Ram Prasad 'Bismil', Chandra Shekhar 'Azad', Ashfaq Ulla Khan, Rajendra Nath Lahiri, Roshan Singh among others.
The British government was completely taken aback by this audacious robbery and dubbed the event as the Kakori train dacoity. The repercussions of this courageous incident were swift action and relentless persecution of all the leaders of HRA. Within a month detailed investigations were carried out and slowly but surely the government netted each revolutionary associated with the Kakori Kaand.
Except Chandra Shekhar Azad, every one else was caught. He never surrendered and chose to end his life in Alfred National Park, Allahabad, when surrounded by the Police after being betrayed. Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaq Ulla Khan, Rajendra Nath Lahiri, Roshan Singh were sentenced to death. All died smiling.
Ram Prasad Bismil's famous words still echo today -
Sarforishi Ki Tamanna Ab Humarey Dil mein Hai, Dekhna hai Zor kitna Baju-e-Qatil mein Hai.
True sons of soil, these. Brought a different August Kranti.