Akhilesh Yadav pays tribute on Kakori Train Action anniversary
Synopsis
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav marked the anniversary of the 1925 Kakori Train Action on 9 August 2026, saluting HRA revolutionaries including Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan who challenged British colonial rule in Uttar Pradesh.
Key Takeaways
Akhilesh Yadav posted a tribute on 9 August 2026 marking the anniversary of the Kakori Train Action .
The Kakori action took place on 9 August 1925 , when Hindustan Republican Association members halted a train near Kakori, Uttar Pradesh and seized colonial treasury funds.
Key figures Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan were central planners of the action and were hanged by the British in 1927 .
The HRA was founded in 1924 in Kanpur with the explicit goal of armed resistance against British rule.
As 2027 nears — the centenary of the martyrs' executions — political and institutional focus on the Kakori legacy is set to grow.
A century-old act of defiance echoes again. On the anniversary of the Kakori Train Action of 9 August 1925, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday, 9 August 2026 paid tribute to the revolutionaries who shook the foundations of British colonial rule in India.
In his post, Akhilesh wrote: 'Angrezi hukoomat ki neenv hilane wale Kakori Train Action ki varshganth par sabhi krantikariyon ko naman' — 'On the anniversary of the Kakori Train Action that shook the foundations of British rule, salutations to all the revolutionaries.'
What happened at Kakori — and why it still matters
On 9 August 1925, members of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) stopped a train near Kakori, Uttar Pradesh, seized government treasury funds, and announced to colonial India that armed resistance was no longer a distant idea. The HRA had been founded just the year before, in 1924 in Kanpur, with the explicit aim of confronting British rule by force.
Among the men who planned and executed the action was Ram Prasad Bismil — revolutionary, poet, and HRA leader — alongside Ashfaqulla Khan, his close comrade. Both were hanged by the British in 1927. Their youth, their friendship across religious lines, and the defiance with which they faced the gallows have made them enduring symbols of the freedom movement in Uttar Pradesh.
UP's revolutionary legacy as political common ground
Tributes to the Kakori martyrs are a near-universal ritual among Uttar Pradesh's political class. The event carries particular weight in the state where it occurred, and invoking it signals both nationalist credentials and a connection to the region's deep freedom-movement history. For Akhilesh Yadav — whose Samajwadi Party draws its core base from UP — the tribute is also a reminder that the soil of the state produced some of independent India's most celebrated resisters.
As 2027 approaches — the centenary of Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan's executions — commemorative attention around the Kakori episode is expected to intensify across parties and state institutions.
Point of View
Whose electoral fortunes are deeply tied to UP, commemorating Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan — whose partnership across Hindu-Muslim lines carries symbolic resonance — reinforces a pluralist historical narrative. With the centenary of the martyrs' executions approaching in 2027, such tributes are likely to become more frequent and more elaborately staged by all major parties competing for UP's electorate.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Kakori Train Action?
The Kakori Train Action was an armed operation carried out on 9 August 1925 by members of the Hindustan Republican Association , who stopped a train near Kakori in Uttar Pradesh and seized British government treasury funds to finance anti-colonial activities.
Who were the main revolutionaries behind the Kakori action?
Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan were among the key planners and participants. Both were arrested by the British and hanged in 1927 .
Why did Akhilesh Yadav post about Kakori today?
9 August marks the anniversary of the 1925 Kakori Train Action . Akhilesh Yadav posted a tribute saluting all revolutionaries who participated in the action against British colonial rule.
What was the Hindustan Republican Association?
The Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) was founded in 1924 in Kanpur with the explicit aim of armed resistance against British rule in India. It organised the Kakori action the following year.
Why is the Kakori anniversary significant in Uttar Pradesh?
The Kakori action took place in Uttar Pradesh , making it a point of regional pride. Political leaders across parties regularly pay tribute on its anniversary, and the upcoming 2027 centenary of the martyrs' executions is expected to bring renewed commemorative attention.
