CM Bhagwant Mann pays tribute to martyr Madan Lal Dhingra
Synopsis
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann paid homage to revolutionary martyr Madan Lal Dhingra on his martyrdom anniversary, honouring the Punjab-born freedom fighter executed in London on 17 August 1909 for his act of anti-colonial resistance.
Key Takeaways
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann posted a tribute to Madan Lal Dhingra on his martyrdom anniversary, 17 August .
Dhingra, born in Punjab , assassinated British official Curzon Wyllie in London on 1 July 1909 .
He was executed on 17 August 1909 , becoming one of India's earliest revolutionary martyrs.
Mann described Dhingra's sacrifice as 'unparalleled' and said it 'will remain immortal forever.' Tributes to independence-era revolutionaries on their anniversaries are a regular practice among Indian political leaders across parties.
On the martyrdom anniversary of one of India's earliest revolutionary heroes, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday, 17 August paid solemn homage to Madan Lal Dhingra, the Punjab-born freedom fighter who gave his life for India's independence more than a century ago.
Posting in Punjabi, CM Mann wrote: 'ਕੋਟਿ-ਕੋਟਿ ਪ੍ਰਣਾਮ' — a crore-fold salutations — to Dhingra's 'unparalleled martyrdom', adding that 'the sacrifice he made for the freedom of the country will remain immortal forever.'Who was Madan Lal Dhingra?
Madan Lal Dhingra was born in Punjab and went to London to study, where he became drawn to the Indian revolutionary underground active in Britain in the early twentieth century. On 1 July 1909, he shot and killed Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, a British political aide-de-camp, at an Imperial Institute function in London — one of the most audacious acts of anti-colonial resistance carried out on British soil. He was arrested, tried, and executed on 17 August 1909, going to the gallows without remorse, his final statement a defiant assertion of India's right to freedom.A martyr remembered across the political spectrum
Dhingra's anniversary draws tributes from leaders across India's political spectrum each year, a reflection of how deeply the revolutionary era is woven into the national memory — particularly in Punjab, a state that contributed a disproportionate share of the independence movement's martyrs. For CM Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party government in Chandigarh, invoking Dhingra's legacy on his shahidi diwas carries both historical reverence and a reminder of the state's singular place in India's freedom struggle. The sacrifice, as Mann put it, remains immortal — a sentiment that needs no elaboration on the day the man who made it was hanged.Point of View
Invoking Dhingra is also a reminder of the state's outsized contribution to the freedom struggle — a piece of regional pride that carries quiet political resonance. Such commemorations rarely generate policy consequences, but they reinforce the symbolic language through which leaders signal their nationalist credentials to a domestic audience.
NationPress
17 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Madan Lal Dhingra?
Madan Lal Dhingra was a Punjab-born Indian revolutionary who assassinated British official Curzon Wyllie in London on 1 July 1909. He was executed on 17 August 1909 and is remembered as one of the earliest martyrs of India's independence movement.
Why is 17 August significant for Madan Lal Dhingra?
17 August marks the anniversary of Madan Lal Dhingra's execution by British authorities in 1909, following his conviction for the assassination of Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie in London.
What did Bhagwant Mann say about Madan Lal Dhingra?
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann offered 'a crore-fold salutations' to Dhingra's martyrdom and said the sacrifice he made for India's freedom 'will remain immortal forever.'
What did Madan Lal Dhingra do in London?
Dhingra shot and killed British political aide-de-camp Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie at an Imperial Institute function in London on 1 July 1909, in one of the most prominent acts of Indian anti-colonial resistance on British soil.
Which party does Bhagwant Mann belong to?
Bhagwant Mann is the Chief Minister of Punjab and a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
