The 1928 case against Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh deserves re-investigation as it will enrich historical accounts with factual details, a leading Pakistani daily reported on Tuesday.
“The trials and wrongful trials of freedom fighters are the medals of the latter, proof of their valor and the oppressive colonial treatment to which they were subjected. From this perspective, it is difficult to imagine what additional honors a retrial would bring these heroes.” Dawn says the editorial.
“However, a re-investigation would reveal the facts and satisfy the desire to recreate a picture as close to reality as possible. This will help to better understand the system as it worked then, and perhaps offer comparisons with today’s practice. For this purpose – enriching the historical record with factual details – it is worth revisiting the case of Bhagat Singh and other persecuted freedom fighters,” it said.
A lawyer in Lahore has sought to reopen the case of the 1928 murder of British policeman John Saunders, which led to the execution of Bhagat Singh and his comrades Sukhdev and Rajguru, saying he may be innocent of the charges.
Last week, the police provided the lawyer with a copy of the FIR registered against three freedom fighters on December 17, 1928, for the murder of then Assistant Superintendent of Police John P. Saunders in Lahore.
“The FIR does not identify those who attacked the British policeman. This may simply mean that the complainants did not know who the assailants were at the time the FIR was lodged, and that the names of the suspects may have been added later,” the editorial said.
23-year-old Bhagat Singh, along with Sukhdev and Rajguru, were sentenced to death for the murder of Saunders, and all three were hanged in Lahore Jail on March 23, 1931.
“The Lahore High Court considered the existence of the 1928 FIR necessary to consider the issue of reopening the Bhagat Singh case and referred the case to the Chief Justice and a higher bench,” the editorial noted.
Published – May 6, 2014 7:23 pm EST.