On this day, 13 March 1940, Indian revolutionary Udham Singh assassinated former lieutenant governor of the Punjab, Michael O'Dwyer, at a meeting in London. The assassination was in revenge for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre when O'Dwyer dispatched troops to attack a peaceful protest, resulting in around 1,800 people being killed and over 1,200 wounded. O'Dwyer referred to the events as a “correct action”.
While in custody, Singh called himself “Ram Mohammad Singh Azad”: the first three words of the name reflect the three major religions of Punjab (Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh), while the last, “azad”, means “free”.
Convicted of murder, Singh was sentenced to death. Speaking at his trial, Singh explained: “He deserved it. He was the real culprit. He wanted to crush the spirit of my people, so I have crushed him. For full 21 years, I have been trying to seek vengeance. I am happy that I have done the job.”
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