COLONOIALSIM RESEARCH

PROJECT
HINDUSTAN REPUBLIC ASSOCIATION

By.,
A.Megavarshini
22BLA1079
HINDUSTAN SOCIALIST REPUBLIC ASSOCIATION (HSRA)

Topics to be Covered:

1) Introduction
2) Background
3) Formation
4) Famours Reformer in this Movement
5) Activites
6) Kakori Conspiracy
7) Simon Commission
8) Goals
9) Cricticism
10) Conclusion

Introduction:

Hindustan Socialist Republic Association (HSRA) was a revolutionary party

set up by Ram Prasad Bismil and his associates to fight against British Colonial
rule kn india and to achieve independence for the country through an armed
rebellion.Hindustan Republic Association once called as the Hindustan Republican
Socialist Association.The HSRA was a revolutionary organization which operated
more aggressively on the Indian subcontinent between 1928 and 1931 to
overthrow the British Military in IndiaIt was etablished in 1924 at village
Bholachang in East Bengal by Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Narendra Mohan Sen and
Pratul Ganguly as an offshoot of Anushilan Samiti.The objective of HSRA was to
establish a “Federated Republic of the United States of India” through an
organized and armed revolution.1

1
Hindustan Socialist Republican Association by Publisher:LAP Lambert Academic Publishing
Background

Mahathma Gandhi had created a wave of dissatisfaction among the

revolutionaries by a sudden implementation of Non Cooperation Movement.So
this decision disappointed many young men who were full of energy and wanted to
fight violently against the British.Those young mens who want to fight violently
they didn’t like the theory of non violence.They had a confidence that the british
can be thrown out only by using force and violence rather than Gandhi’s idea.At
the same time, there was uprisings in other parts of the world and there is a lot of
bloody revolutions all over the world.The result of this situation is that the old
Yugantar and Anushilan Samiti got awaken and a new form of terroristic
revolutionaries emerged from the unenthusiastic and unsatisfied for the non-
cooperators.In the village of Bholachang which is located in East Bengal, there
was a meeting between some of these persons like sachindra nath sanyal, narendra
mohan sen, pratul ganguly and etc,.2

They established an offshoot to the Anushilan Samiti.The name was chosen an

Hindustan Republic Association on the lines of Irish Republican Army.The
manifesto of this revolutionary organization was finally “ The Revolutionary”.The
non cooperation movement of 1920 was widely spread as said
previously.Eventhough Gandhi wanted this movement to be held non violently but
no one from the young group is not ready to listen his words.Gandhi doesn’t want
the condition be worser as chauri chaura3movement.So he called off the
movement.

Formation

2
Hindustan Socialist Republican Association by Publisher:LAP Lambert Academic Publishing
3
Chauri Chaura Paperback – 1 January 2013Hindi Edition by Subhashchandra kushwaha (Author)
Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA) was established in 1928 at Feroz Shah
Kotla in New Delhi by Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and
others. The manifesto of HSRA, issued by it's president, Kartar Singh, was found
pasted on the wall of Hare School building, situated within the campus of Presidency
College (now Presidency University). The red coloured manifesto was seized by the
Assistant Headmaster of the school and forwarded to the higher authority.Manifesto of
HSRA, written in Bengali.It reminds the youth about the martyrdom of Benoy Bose,
Badal Gupta, Dinesh Gupta, Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad and the massacre at
the Hijli Camp, calls them for their participation and take revenge of these deaths. The
manifesto also upholds the aims of the organisation, which are as follows: Down with
ImperialismLife for Life andBlood for Blood.4The HRA was drafted by Bismil in
1923 at Allahabad with the blessing of Lala Har Dayal.Other prominent members of
the party were Sachindra Nath Sanyal and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee.The HRA
formed centers at, Allahabad, Agra, Kanpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Shahjahanpur, and
Saharanpur.It also had bomb manufacturing units at Calcutta and Deogarh.A
manifesto for the party was written by Sanyal titled 'Revolutionary'.It inspired the
youth of the country to join the party and take part in the struggle.It demanded
universal suffrage.The pamphlets were distributed in many cities in northern india.5

Famous Reformer in this Movement:

Ram Prasad Bismil6

The man who masterminded the Manipuri conspiracy in 1918 and the Kakori
train robbery in 1925.He was Indian revolutionary, who was hanged by the british
government on 19 December 1927.He was a prominent freedom fighter and an
activist, who was one of the founders of the HSRA.He received the inspiration to be a
patrior from the book named Satyarth Prakash which was written by Swami Dayanand
Saraswathi.He received his school education from his father. He learnt Hindi from his

4
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/manifesto-of-hindustan-socialistic-republican-army-
1931/vAFZvyAhSDgkqg?hl=en
5
A revolutionary History of Interwar India by Kama Maclean 2009
6 Ram Prasad Bismil by: Express Web Desk
New Delhi | June 11, 2019
father and Urdu from a local moluvi. He passed his Middle school examination in first
division from an English Mission school.While participating as a leader in the Indian
National Congress and National movements for india’s independence, he, along with a
local school teacher, founded an organization named ‘Matrivedi’.On 28 january 1918,
Ram Prasad Bismil dispersed a pamphlet titled “Deshvasiyon Ke Nam Sandesh”.He
involved in robbing three local villages along with his group members to fund their
revolutionary movement.7The book “American Ki swantatrata Kas Itihas” was
prohibited by the british government in UP was continued to be distributed by Bismil
and his companions to the general public, and the police personnel were continuously
chasing them under the Manipuri Conspiracy of 1918.8

In 1920, the accused of this conspiracy were arrested soon, released by the
british government.Even Ramprasadh used to say that independence would not be
achieved by means of non violence.After the revolutionary party was established by
him and his revolutionary associates, the british india was informed about the
manifesto of the party through a “White Leaflet” pamphlet.Ram prasadh bismil along
with his ten revolutionary companions of the HSRA, was involved in halting the train
near Lucknow Railway Junction to rob the government treasury carried on it by the
britishers without security (Kakori Conspiracy)9.

The Kakori Train Robbery (Kakori Conspiracy) was a train robbery that
occurred on August 9, 1925, in Kakori, a village near Lucknow, during the Indian
Independence Movement against the British Raj. Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah
Khan, members of the HRA, which later became the Hindustan Socialist Republican
Association, planned the robbery. This organisation was formed to carry
out revolutionary activities against the British Empire in order to achieve
independence. Bismil and his group devised a plan to rob a train on the Saharanpur
Railway lines in order to raise funds for the organisation's weapon purchases.Finally,

7
American Ki swantatrata Kas Itihas
8 Nij Jeevan Ki Ek Chhata by Ram Prasad Bismil.
9Kakori consipiracy by Neha Grover Apr 11, 2022
he was hanged out by british for being participating and creating a lot and lot of
revolutionary movement which was totally stands against british.

2.Bhagat Singh10

Singh was a prominent member of the Hindustan Republican Association

(HRA) and was probably responsible, in large part, for its change of name to
Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928. The HSRA vowed to
avenge Rai's death.
Bhagat Singh is considered one of the foremost revolutionaries in India's struggle for
freedom. He, in many ways, gave a direction and impetus to our freedom struggle
through self supreme sacrifice and strategic planning that eventually made him a hero
amongst millions of Indians.”They may kill me, but they cannot kill my ideas. They
can crush my body, but they will not be able to crush my spirit.”11Their aim was to

fight against British colonial rule in India and achieve independence for the country
through an armed rebellion, if necessary.In 1925, the organisation looted a train
carrying government money in Kakori. The revolutionaries involved in the episode
were Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri and Thakur Roshan
Singh. All four were eventually hanged by the government in 1927.. The name of the
party was changed from HRA to HSRA in 1928 because of Bhagath Singh

Bhagat Singh and Rajguru shot another police officer John Saunders in a case of
mistaken identity. They had intended to shoot Scott. However, the HSRA still claimed
that revenge had been taken.Next, Bhagat Singh & Batukeshwar Dutt bombed the
Central Legislative assembly to “make the deaf hear”. Nobody was injured in the
bombing and both the revolutionaries courted arrest after the incident.

Later in 1931, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged to death for
Saunders’ murder.

3) Chandra Shekar Azad12

10
Life and times of Bhagat singh by Mahesh sharma, 2012
11
Biography of Bhagath singh 2021 by Mahesh Sharma.
12
Chandra Shekar Azad (An immortal Revolutionary of India) by Bhawan Singh Rana 2005.
 Chandra Shekhar Azad popularly known as by his self-taken name Azad was an
Indian revolutionary who reorganised the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA)
under its new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA).His famous
proclamation, ‘Dushmano Ki Goliyon Ka Saamna Hum Karenge, Azad Hi Rahe Hain,
aur Azad hi Rahenge’ is exemplary of his brand of revolution. Azad was born as on 23
July 1906 in Bhabhra village as Chandra Shekhar Tiwari , in the present day Alirajpur
district of Madhya Pradesh.In December 1921, when Mahatma Gandhi launched the
Non-Cooperation Movement, Chandra Shekhar, then a 15-year-old student, joined. 13

As a result, he was arrested. On being presented before a magistrate, he gave his

name as “Azad”, his father’s name as “Swatantrata” and his residence as “Jail”. From
that day he came to be known as Chandra Shekhar Azad among the people.After the
suspension of the non-cooperation, Azad became more aggressive. He met a young
revolutionary. Manmath Nath Gupta, who introduced him to Ram Prasad Bismil who
had formed the HRA.

He was involved in the Kakori Train Robbery of 1925, in the attempt to blow up
the Viceroy of India’s train in 1926, and at last, the shooting of J. P. Saunders
at Lahore in 1928 to avenge the killing of Lala Lajpat Rai.He often used the pen name
“Balraj” when signing pamphlets issued as the commander in chief of the HSRA.

Azad’s impact on the British Raj law enforcement faction was evident from how
much effort they put to capture him, dead or alive. They even announced a reward of
Rs. 30,000 on his head. The huge amount of money led to vital information on the
whereabouts of Azad. The police surrounded him in the park after Virbhadra Tiwari
(their old companion who later turned traitor) informed them of his presence there.He
was wounded in the process of defending himself and Sukhdev Raj (not to be
confused with Sukhdev Thapar) and killed three policemen and wounded others. His
actions made it possible for Sukhdev Raj to escape. He shot himself after being

13
https://civilaspirant.in/chandra-shekhar-azad/
surrounded by the police and left with no option of escape after the ammunition was
finished. 14

Activities:

Different Activites were took place during HSRA Movement. Some of them are
Kakori, Simon Commission and etc.,

Kakori: 15

The Kakori Conspiracy (also known as the Kakori train robbery) was a train robbery
that occurred near Lucknow. Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) organised the
robbery. On August 9, 1925, the Number 8 Down Train travelling from Shahjahanpur
to Lucknow was approaching the town of Kakori when a revolutionary pulled the
emergency chain to stop the train and overpowered the guard. The guard cabin was
the target, as it was transporting money collected from various railway stations to be
deposited in Lucknow. Only those bags (containing more than 100,000 rupees) were
looted by revolutionaries, who fled to Lucknow. Despite the fact that no passengers
were targeted by the revolutionaries, one passenger, Ahmed Ali, was killed in the
crossfire between the guards and the revolutionaries. As a result, the case was
classified as manslaughter. Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri,
Chandrashekhar Azad, Swaran Singh, Sachindra Bakshi, Keshab Chakravarty,
Manmathnath Gupta, Mukundi Lal, Banwari Lal, Kundan Lal, and Pranawesh
Mukherjee carried out the robbery plan.

The goals of this robbery were to:

 The money stolen from the British administration will be used to fund the
HRA.
 Obtain public attention by promoting a favourable image of the HRA among
Indians.

14
Biography of Chandrashekar Azad: Inspirational Biographies for Children by Meenu sinhal 2021.

15
Kakori: The Train Robbery That Shook The British Raj by Prachi Garg 2022
  Following the incident, the British administration launched a massive manhunt
and arrested a number of revolutionaries who were members or associates of
the HRA.
 Their leader, Ram Prasad Bismil, was arrested in Shahjahanpur on October 26,
1925, and Ashfaqullah Khan was arrested in Delhi on December 7, 1926.

Simon Commission16

Simon Commission, group appointed in November 1927 by the

British Conservative government under Stanley Baldwin to report on the working
of the Indian constitution established by the Government of India Act of 1919. The
commission consisted of seven members—four Conservatives, two Labourites,
and one Liberal—under the joint chairmanship of the distinguished Liberal lawyer,
Sir John Simon, and Clement Attlee, the future prime minister.
Its composition met with a storm of criticism in India because Indians were
excluded. The commission was boycotted by the Indian National Congress and
most other Indian political parties. It, nevertheless, published a two-volume report,
mainly the work of Simon.

Regarded as a classic state document, the report proposed

provincial autonomy in India but rejected parliamentary responsibility at the
centre. It accepted the idea of federalism and sought to retain direct contact
between the British crown and the Indian states. Before its publication its
conclusions had been outdated by the declaration of October 1929, which stated
that dominion status was to be the goal of Indian constitutional development.

Goals of HSRA:

 To build a "Federal Republic of the United States of India by an organised and

military revolution.
 To bring freedom for India from Britishers

16
Simon commission and Indian Nationalism by SR Bakshi 1977
Hindustan Republican Association - Criticism17

The methods of the association were diametrically opposed to Gandhi's

nonviolent resistance movement. Gandhi harshly criticized the revolutionaries and
their methods.

In response to the attack on Lord Irwin's train, Gandhi published "The Cult of the
Bomb," a scathing critique of the HSRA (Young India, 2 January 1929). He
declared in it that bomb-throwing was nothing more than "froth rising to the
surface of an agitated liquid."Gandhi called the HSRA and its actions "cowardly"
and "dastardly." The HSRA's violent struggle, according to Gandhi, had its risks.
More retaliation and suffering resulted from the violence.It would also turn inward
because "it was an easy natural step" from "violence against the foreign ruler" to
"violence against our own people."In response to this criticism, the HSRA issued
its own manifesto, "The Philosophy of the Bomb," in which they defended their
violent methods as complementary to Gandhi's nonviolent methods.

Conclusion

The HSRA chose to work under collective leadership and set socialism as its
official goal. The revolutionaries' goal was complete independence, and they had a
vision of how the state should look once that goal was achieved. They envisioned a
mass struggle of the people and attempted to mobilize students, workers, and peasants
to that end. Finally this Association came to an end after the death of every prominent
and strong leaders like Ram Prasad Bismil, Bhagath Singh, Chandra Shekar and etc.

17
https://prepp.in/news/e-492-hindustan-republican-association-1924-modern-india-history.