CM Bhagwant Mann pays tribute to Shaheed Udham Singh on martyrdom anniversary
Synopsis
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann marked the martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Udham Singh on July 31, 2026, paying tribute to the revolutionary who avenged the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre by assassinating Michael O'Dwyer in London in 1940.
Key Takeaways
July 31 marks the martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Udham Singh , hanged at Pentonville Prison, London, in 1940 .
CM Bhagwant Mann offered 'a million salutes' ( koti-koti pranaam ) to Udham Singh in a Punjabi-language post on July 31, 2026 .
Udham Singh assassinated Michael O'Dwyer on March 13, 1940 to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 13, 1919 .
Hundreds of unarmed civilians were killed when British troops fired on a Baisakhi gathering at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar .
Punjab political leaders annually invoke such martyrdom anniversaries to connect the state's identity to its anti-colonial resistance history.
On the martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Udham Singh, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday, July 31, 2026 bowed in remembrance to the revolutionary who carried the weight of Jallianwala Bagh across continents and answered it with an act that shook the British Empire.
Posting in Punjabi, CM Mann wrote: 'ਕੋਟਿ-ਕੋਟਿ ਪ੍ਰਣਾਮ' — 'a million salutes' — to the 'great revolutionary martyr who avenged the bloody massacre of Jallianwala Bagh.' He added that Udham Singh's 'unparalleled sacrifice for the honour of the nation will always remain a great inspiration for us.'
The act that made Udham Singh immortal
Udham Singh was present at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on April 13, 1919, when British troops under the command of General Reginald Dyer opened fire on an unarmed crowd gathered for Baisakhi celebrations. Hundreds were killed. Singh survived, but the memory did not leave him.
Over two decades later, on March 13, 1940, he walked into Caxton Hall in London and shot dead Michael O'Dwyer — the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab who had sanctioned Dyer's action. Singh was arrested, tried, and hanged at Pentonville Prison on July 31, 1940. That date is now observed each year as his Shahidi Diwas — martyrdom day.
Punjab's identity, written in resistance
For Punjab's political leaders, tributes to figures like Udham Singh are not merely ceremonial. The region sits at the heart of India's anti-colonial memory — Amritsar alone holds Jallianwala Bagh, the Golden Temple, and the echoes of a partition that bisected the province itself. Invoking these martyrs connects the present administration to a lineage of sacrifice that Punjab claims as its own.
CM Mann's tribute follows a consistent pattern of Aam Aadmi Party leadership in Punjab using martyrdom anniversaries to reinforce the state's revolutionary heritage — a heritage that runs from Bhagat Singh to Udham Singh and beyond. Annual state-level observances are typically held in Amritsar or Chandigarh around this date.
Eighty-six years after his hanging, Udham Singh's name still commands the kind of reverence that no official ceremony can manufacture. That, in itself, is the answer he sought.
Point of View
Aligning with figures like Udham Singh and Bhagat Singh offers ideological grounding that transcends party lines. The Jallianwala Bagh reference is never incidental in Punjab politics; it remains the region's deepest wound and its most potent symbol of resistance. By invoking it on the martyrdom day itself, Mann reinforces Punjab's claim as the conscience of India's freedom struggle.
NationPress
31 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Shaheed Udham Singh's martyrdom anniversary?
Shaheed Udham Singh's martyrdom anniversary falls on July 31 each year. He was hanged at Pentonville Prison in London on July 31, 1940 .
Why is Udham Singh called the avenger of Jallianwala Bagh?
Udham Singh was present at the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar on April 13, 1919 , where British troops killed hundreds of unarmed civilians. He later assassinated Michael O'Dwyer — the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab who had sanctioned the action — in London on March 13, 1940 .
Who was Michael O'Dwyer?
Michael O'Dwyer was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab at the time of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre . He sanctioned General Dyer's order to fire on the crowd. He was shot dead by Udham Singh in London in 1940.
What did Bhagwant Mann say about Udham Singh?
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann offered ' koti-koti pranaam ' (a million salutes) to Udham Singh on his martyrdom anniversary, calling his sacrifice for the nation's honour 'unparalleled' and a 'great inspiration' for future generations.
What is Jallianwala Bagh?
Jallianwala Bagh is a public garden in Amritsar, Punjab , where on April 13, 1919 , British Indian Army troops fired on thousands of unarmed civilians gathered for Baisakhi, killing hundreds in one of the most infamous atrocities of British colonial rule in India.
