Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad were terrorists: UK historian

Surat, Feb 17: Once again a question has been raised on the martyrdom of freedom fighters

and Chandrashekhar Azad. They sacrificed their lives around 80 years ago but controversies surrounding them are yet to die down.

This time, a British historian has branded them as "terrorists", during a lecture on 'Nonviolent Resistance In India during 1915-1947' in Surat on Friday, sparking a controversy.

Warwick University's professor David Hardiman said, "Terrorist groups, who predate Mahatma Gandhi, were always there alongside Gandhi's non-violent movement."

"Some of these famous figures were Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad, who were involved in organisations like Hindustan Republic Association (HRA) and Hindustan Republic Socialist Association (HRSA)," the professor of United Kingdom's history said.

Speaking at the 24th I P Desai Memorial Lecture organised by Centre for Social Studies on February 14, Hardiman also said that Gandhi's movement was benefited due to other means of protests.

"Every non-violent movement has a violent group aiming to achieve the same ends with armed movement. The group often indulges in terror acts like bombings, shootings and assassinations. The non-violent movement was benefited because the authorities feel it is better to deal with them than the dangerous terrorists," Hardiman said.

Hardiman's remarks against the Indian revolutionaries angered the audience, who compelled him to clarify, following which, he said, "I did not use the word terrorists as a derogatory term."

Protest against historian's remarks

However, Major Unmesh Pandya, member of executive council of Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, who was amongst the audience, stood up during the lecture and protested against Hardiman's remarks.

"The UK-based scholar used word 'terrorists', seven to eight times for the revolutionaries. There is a unanimous understanding between the academicians of the entire world not to use the word terrorist for the people who had not killed innocent civilians. One can use words like extremist or revolutionary," Pandya said.

Controversies surrounding Bhagat Singh are yet to die down.

"A terrorist means who terrorises people. But freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh or Chandrashekhar Azad initiated armed movement against imperialism. If one considers any violent or armed movement as a terror activity, then under that definition British Raj or Queen Victoria's activities can also be defined as terrorism," he added.

Bhagat Singh mentioned as terrorist in books

In 2006, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were referred to as terrorists in a Class 10th textbook of Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) syllabus.

The chapter was titled as 'Revival of terrorism' where the the trio were referred as terrorists.

In 2011, a Delhi court had directed ICSE to remove 'defamatory references' to freedom-fighters in its history and civic book from the next academic session.

The court also said that these leaders should be called as nationalists and revolutionaries.

Recently, a false campaign was spread on social media claiming that Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were executed on February 14, 1931, the day celebrated as Valentines Day.

OneIndia News

(With PTI inputs)