Context:
On the 114th death anniversary of Madan Lal Dhingra, a massive memorial was inaugurated in Amritsar, where he hailed from.
Relevance:
GS I: History
Madan Lal Dhingra: Indian Revolutionary Freedom Fighter
- Early Life: Madan Lal Dhingra was born on February 18, 1883, in Amritsar, India.
- Education: After receiving his early education in Amritsar, Dhingra went to England for higher studies. He enrolled at University College, London, where he pursued engineering.
- Involvement in Independence Movement: While studying in England, Dhingra became deeply engaged in the activities of the Indian independence movement. He associated with prominent revolutionaries such as Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Shyamji Krishna Varma.
- Curzon Wyllie’s Assassination: On July 1, 1909, Dhingra assassinated Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, a retired British Indian Army officer and official, during a public meeting at London’s Imperial Institute.
- Motivation for the Assassination: During his trial, Dhingra claimed that he murdered Curzon Wyllie as a patriotic act and in retaliation for the British Government’s brutal treatment of Indians in India.
- Trial and Sentencing: Dhingra was found guilty of the assassination and was sentenced to death.
- Execution: At the young age of 24, Madan Lal Dhingra was executed by hanging on August 17, 1909.
- Family Disownment: Due to his anti-British stance, Dhingra was disowned by his family. Even after his death, his family refused to claim his body.
-Source: Indian Express
