Page 40 - PSLgurmatbook62020

of Indians in India and other laws in the country. Problem with it
was that there was not even one Indian in that commission.

The Indians boycotted and protested against this Simon
Commission. Lala Lajpat Rai, a freedom fighter was leading a silent

march to protest. Police Superintendent Scott ordered a beating by
sticks. Lala Ji was beaten to death by the police.

Bhagat Singh was very angry at this death. He along with Shivaram

Rajguru, Sukhdev Thapar and Chander Shekhar Azad, decided to

avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai. They decided to assassinate
James Scott, but instead shot and killed a police officer named

John Saunders by mistake in December 1928. Saunders was killed by
a single shot from Rajguru. He was then shot several times by

Bhagat Singh. Chander Shekhar Azad shot an Indian police

constable, Chanan Singh, who attempted to pursue Bhagat Singh and
Rajguru as they fled.

After escaping from Lahore, Bhagat Singh and his friends posted

posters that Lala Ji’s death has been avenged. Bhagat Singh was on

the run for many months.

After a few months, in April 1929, he and another friend,

Batukeshwar Dutt, exploded two bombs inside the Parliament House
in Delhi where the British were deciding on trade and public safety

bills in India. The bombs were thrown on empty benches because the

point was not to kill but to get attention. They showered leaflets
from the gallery on the legislators below. They did not flee after

bombing the assembly and were arrested. Bhagat Singh refused to

hire a council for self-defense.

Bhagat Singh then launched his ideas of revolution. He said that he
bombed the Parliament House not to kill but to get attention that he

and other freedom fighters were not violent people, but they were

fighting for the freedom of India from the British rule. Bhagat

Sikh History and Gurmat Sikhia Book 6 2020 Edition Page 38