On this day (February 27), ninety-two years ago, the iconic Indian revolutionary freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad died, preferring to shoot himself than get arrested by the British.
It is well known that the CID head of British police was tipped by someone that Azad is conducting a meeting at Alfred Park (currently Chandra Shekhar Azad park). With 80 sepoys, the police surrounded the park and soon a gunfight broke out. Azad didn’t give up till his final breath and eventually shot himself to avoid being captured by the Britishers.
Another known fact is that Sujit Azad, the nephew of revolutionary freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad, has been asserting for several years now, that India’s former Prime Minister and Congress leader Jawaharlal Nehru provided specific information about Azad’s whereabouts to the British.
Sujit Azad alleged that Nehru informed the British about the presence of Chandra Shekhar Azad at Alfred Park because other than Nehru and his fellow HRA members, nobody else knew Azad was coming there. He has also urged previously that the ‘Bharat Ratna’ award given to Nehru should be revoked. Similarly, he demanded that a panel similar to the ‘Kapur Commission’ (formed after Gandhi’s death) should be appointed to investigate the aforementioned allegations and the truth should be made public.
Jawaharlal Nehru was a prominent figure in Congress at the time of Chandra Shekhar Azad’s death. Motilal Nehru, his father, was a well-known barrister, Congress politician, and financial supporter of the revolutionaries. But, Jawaharlal Nehru was not as enthusiastic about the revolutionaries.
On February 27, 1931, Chandra Shekhar Azad visited Anand Bhavan (Nehru residence in Lucknow) to meet him secretly to seek clemency for Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, and other freedom fighters who were sentenced to death by the British government. At that time, Azad also handed over the treasury belonging to the ‘Hindustan Socialist Republican Association’ to Nehru to secure Bhagat Singh’s release. Nehru started giving evasive answers, due to which Chandra Shekhar Azad came out of the meeting in anger.
Azad went to Albert Park in Allahabad with his aide after returning from ‘Anand Bhavan’ to discuss his next course of action. Nehru, who was the only person who knew where Azad was, allegedly informed the British about his location as per Sujit Azad. Based on the particular information, the police surrounded Azad with 80 sepoys, and a gunfight ensued. Azad, facing the entire police force, refused to surrender. He battled till the bitter end and kept firing at the British cops until he was down to one bullet. He pointed the pistol at his head and pulled the trigger. Azad, a renowned revolutionary and a courageous son of India, chose to die over submission to the British.
According to Sujit Azad, Nehru not only grabbed the treasury but also betrayed Chandra Shekhar Azad, leading to his death.
