Jai Hind, Salaam Aapko, Veer Chandra Singh Gadwaliji ! The nation is indebted to you for your supreme sacrifice for India’s freedom !

On 23rd April is the anniversary of Peshawar mutiny against British forces and the imperialist rule initiated by eminent freedom fighter and great revolutionary Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali, who left for his eternal journey on 1st October, 1979 at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi after prolonged illness at the age of ninety.

He was born on 25 th December 1891. Earlier a dedicated Congressman, he later on joined Communist Party of India and was a leftist till his death having contested the assembly election from Chaundkot Garhwal holding a ” bhompu” , campaigning singularly, going village to village with no means, as an independent candidate only to lose.

By nature he was a real “Fakkad”, a man of principles and anti establishment in attitude, who never compromised for power and positions despite the fact that he was even offered political positions and ministry by the then prime minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.

I fondly remember to have met him while he was on bed at the house of Comrade Kalyan Singh Rawat under treatment at North Avenue MP staff quarters, later on admitted in Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia hospital where he breathed his last.

I am witness to his last “Shav Yatra”, when then union finance minister minister Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna and several leaders of Communist Party, including Congressman marched to the Communist Party’s office in New Delhi where he was laid down for people’s “darshan” to pay their last respects n tributes , finally given a last adieu at electric crematorium amid slogans of amar rahen and lal Salam to comrade Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali.

The communist Party of India leader C Rajeshwar Rao, the then general secretary of CPM, EMS Namboodiripad and late prime minister Indira Gandhi, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna and several important personalities had come there to pay their last floral tributes to this great freedom fighter and revolutionary.

Condemned to solitary confinement in several jails for several years for his brave effort and dare devil initiative against the then British rule, when nobody could dare even in dreams, Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali was the very first revolutionary who actually sparked the light for freedom struggle in the country under tyrannical British rule when on 23 rd April 1930 when he unambiguously with immense courage and patriotic fervour, refused to obey the orders of the then General Ricket to fire on the unarmed Pathan freedom fighters called “Khudai kidmatgars” led by the towering Pathan leader and freedom fighter later known as frontier Gandhi, Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, a dedicated strong disciple of father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi. .

The Garhwal platoon was led by none other than Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali to counter the Khudai Kidmatgars who were protesting the British rule demanding freedom at Kissakhani Bazaar, Peshawar, on the direct orders of the then British officer General Ricket. There were 72 jawans led by Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali in his platoon.

When infuriated General Ricket ordered Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali directing in absolute anger “Garhwali fire” along with his platoon pointing their rifles towards hundreds of peacefully protesting Pathans, Chandra Singh Garhwali without caring for the deadly and drastic consequences openly violated his orders and saying ceasefire Garhwalis in loud voice, ordering to withdraw firing.

He historically avoided happening a next major Jalianwala Bagh massacre that happened in 1919, to the utter surprise, shock and astonishment of General Ricket.

The Garhwali platoon led by Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali threw their arms and refused to fire on unarmed Pathan freedom fighters led by Frontier Gandhi, Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan who later lived to his age of 92, after independence.

The awestruck British officers, especially General Ricket were badly demoralised, never ever expected anyone of the Junior rank of Chandra Singh Garhwali and his platoon disobeying the British under whose colonial rule the sun never set in the entire world and whose terror reigned everywhere, nobody daring to Revolt against them, the constitutional architect of the major countries of the globe.

Chandra Singh Garhwali and his platoon soldiers were arrested, handcuffed and a cases being traitor were launched against them putting them all in solitary confinement for several years, even in Andoman Nocobar jail.

The entire battalion was confined to solitary confinement in Abbottabad, Peshawar with cases of treason registered against them and Chandra Singh Garhwali’s death sentence converted to rigorous life imprisonment. 16 others were awarded protracted rigorous imprisonment and 39 court marshalled and terminated from services. This imprisonment was awarded by the then military court on 13 th June 1930.

The British want to hang them till death as this was the greatest act of treason for Britishers who want to crush this revolt by all means, fearing its sparks spreading all around the country enabling others too standing against the British tyrannical rule.

It is said that this revolt spread like wildfire fire in entire country and people were mobilised nationally.

Meanwhile an eminent barrister of Garhwal, Uttarakhand primarily from Kotdwar who was England return known as Barrister Mukandilal fought Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali n his platoon’s case free of cost as a mark of tribute to these freedom fighter revolutionaries and after incessant debates in court was able to decrease their death sentence to life imprisonment.

Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali spent eleven years four months of stringent punishments in various jails of Abattabad now in Pakistan, Dera Ismail Khan, Bareilly, Nainital, Lucknow, Almora and Dehradun suffering immense torture.

After being in solitary confinement for several years in different jails he was finally freed on 26 th September 1941. However, once a revolutionary always a revolutionary Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali met Subhash Chandra Bose while in Lucknow jail. But in 1942 he was again arrested by the British and jailed for 7 years confronting physical thrashing n tortures finally released in 1945 but restricted entry in Garhwal.

Therefore he went to Haldwani in 1944 with his, family finally joining Communist party being welcomed by various groups of freedom fighters and people of Kumaon division. He also went to Lahore and acknowledged a tumultuous welcome. He participated in the Tehri Jan Kranti against the then Rajshahi and after eminent revolutionary Nagendra Saklani’s martydom he led the movement fulfilling his unfinished task.

He was actually the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh who in 1974 using his discretionary powers allotted a huge tract of land to Chandra Singh Garhwali at Haldughati, Kotdwar, Garhwal by relaxing the rules.

kindly recall that when the first world War was announced,Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali was 22 years old.

According to the book authored by eminent writer n former union education minister Bhakta Darshan Singh during those times the British started admitting youngman in their army. A constable reached Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali’s village. Due to abject poverty Chandra Singh Garhwal do not want to lose this golden opportunity and followed the constable via Dhaijuli and Pauri to Lansdowne without seeking permission from his family. On 11 th September, 1914 he was admitted in 2/3 Garhwal Rifles. Being healthily sound he was rendered physical training of nine months which he passed conveniently and enrolled permanently in Garhwal Riffles 6 th company’s 12 th section. Being very talkative he was called Chandribhaat.

In 1915 he participated in the war with friendly countries in Europe and central areas. He participated in Mesopotamia war in 1917. During 1921 to 1923 the British were involved with Pathans in a massive war. He started participating in Satyagrahas in 1920 led by Gandhiji. In 1929 Gandhiji arrived at Kumaon. He went to Bageshwar while on leave to meet Gandhiji. He was immensely inspired by Gandhiji pledged to do something constructive for the Nation to free it from foreign tyrannical clutches of the cruel British.

After independence and even before, freedom fighter n revolutionary Chandra Singh Garhwali met Gandhiji and Jawahar Lal Nehru at Alahabad and stayed at Anand Bhawan n wardha Ashram too with his family for several months.

He was even offered ministership at the centre by the then PM Jawahar Lal Nehru but he outrightly refused the offer and latter on joined Communist Party of India and preferred a life of a struggling fighter against capitalist tendencies for the poor, down trodden and hapless rather than enjoying power.

The then prime minister Indira Gandhi also had high regards for him and offered political positions in the government but sorry to say no government came to his rescue thereafter when he was alive nor his family was helped by either central or successive state governments of Uttarakhand except the then UP CM Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna.

His family always remained in financial doldrums and no government could give them any benefit due to them for such a great sacrifice for the nation.

Just two years ago his family living in poverty in Haldhukhata Kotdwar was issued notice with the state government coming to their rescue after the matter was highlighted in the social media. Just recently there were news about his daughter in law even going to the extent of being fed up of government’s step motherly treatment and subsequent sending of notices fir evacuation of the earlier alloted land at Haldukhata, Kotdwar going to the extent of urging the powers that be to send them to Pakistan. Such is the plight of the family of the great freedom fighter who dedicated his entire life for the nation, while alive but died a life of a pauper, though several universities and institutions including roads named after him. His both the sons died in scarcity with no privileges accorded to them despite repeated requests.

It may be recalled that during his last days, nonagenarian Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali ji was treated in Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital after being in a small staff quarter of comrade Kalyan Singh Rawat, a trade unionist and an employee in THE HINDI daily, who took care of his deteriorating health for several months with authorities not at all coming to his rescue. Salutes to Comrade Rawat as well.

Born in Choutan Patti to Jaloth Singh Bhandari and Bhagirathi Devi on 25 th December, 1891 breathing his last in Dr. Ram Manohar hospital on 1 st October, 1979, Delhi, the then union minister Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, the then higher education minister Uttar Pradesh Shivanand Nautiyal and several communist leaders marched from the hospital to a communist party office in Delhi along with the coffin of this great freedom fighter and revolutionery under scorching sun raising slogans hailing him. Mr Bahuguna and Nautiyal gave shoulder to the coffin of great revolutionary n freedom fighter on the way to Communist Party office.

The then general secretary of CPM EMS Namboodiripad, CPI C. Rajeshwar Rao, former PM Indira Gandhi, H. N. Bahuguna and several leaders and political workers laid wreaths on his body as a mark of respects. He was there after consigned to flames in electric crematorium.

Salutes to a great and brave freedom fighter Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali, the first hero of the revolutionary act in India. Jai Hind.