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guru. He loved to sing political songs. After staying for some months
in Kashmir, Udham Singh left India.
He reached England by the mid-thirties. He was looking for an
opportunity to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy. Udham Singh
had created a book with a carved out shape of the revolver to fit
his pistol in it. He got his moment on March 13, 1940. A meeting was
scheduled between the East India Association and Royal Central
Asian Society in London. He dressed up elegantly, carried his book
and entered the meeting. On that day, at 4.30 p.m. in the Caxton
Hall, London, Udham Singh fired five-six shots from his pistol at Sir
Michael O’Dwyer, who was governor of the Punjab when the
Amritsar massacre took place. O’Dwyer was hit twice and fell to the
ground dead and Lord Zetland, the Secretary of State for India,
who was presiding over the meeting, was injured.
Udham Singh was overpowered with a smoking revolver in his hand.
He made no attempt to escape and continued saying that he had
done his duty by his country. On April 1, 1940, Udham Singh was
formally charged with the murder of Sir Michael O’Dwyer. On June
4, 1940, he was tried in the court and sentenced to death. On July
31, 1940, Udham Singh was hanged in Pentonville Prison in London.
Shaheed Udham Singh was a man of action and great courage. He
had a sense of humor. He called himself a guest of His Majesty King
George. He looked upon death as a bride he was going to wed. He
remained cheerful to the last minute and went joyfully to the
gallows just like his hero Bhagat Singh had done.
During the trial, Udham Singh had made a request that his ashes be
sent back to his country, but this was not allowed. In 1975, however,
the Government of India finally succeeded in bringing his ashes
home. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the occasion to
Sikh History and Gurmat Sikhia Book 6 2020 Edition Page 42