CM Sai pays tribute to Sardar Udham Singh on martyrdom day
Synopsis
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai paid tribute to Sardar Udham Singh on his martyrdom anniversary, 31 July, honouring the revolutionary who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer in 1940 to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Key Takeaways
Sardar Udham Singh was executed by British authorities on 31 July 1940 after assassinating former Punjab Lt.
Governor Michael O'Dwyer in London.
O'Dwyer had sanctioned the orders that led to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April 1919 , in which hundreds of unarmed civilians were killed.
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai called Udham Singh a symbol of 'valour, courage and indomitable patriotism' on his death anniversary.
Udham Singh's remains were repatriated to India in 1974 and rest at Sunam, Punjab , his birthplace.
Annual state and central government commemorations are held on 31 July at memorials honouring Udham Singh across India.
Eighty-six years after British authorities hanged him in Pentonville Prison, Sardar Udham Singh still commands the conscience of a nation. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai paid solemn tribute to the revolutionary on his martyrdom anniversary, 31 July, honouring a man whose single act of retribution echoed across empires.
Posting in Hindi, CM Sai called Udham Singh a symbol of 'valour, courage and indomitable patriotism' — veertha, sahas aur adamya rashtrabhakti ke pratik — and said his supreme sacrifice would continue to inspire all Indians toward love of the motherland, self-respect, and the resolve to stand firmly against injustice.
The act that defined a revolution
On 13 March 1940, Udham Singh walked into Caxton Hall in London and shot dead Michael O'Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab who had sanctioned the orders carried out on 13 April 1919 at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar. That massacre, in which British Indian Army troops opened fire on an unarmed crowd gathered for Baisakhi, killed hundreds — the exact toll remains contested, but the wound never healed. Udham Singh had witnessed it as a young man. He waited two decades, then crossed continents to deliver his answer.
Tried and convicted of murder, he was executed on 31 July 1940. He was 40 years old. His remains were repatriated to India in 1974 and now rest at Sunam in Punjab, the town of his birth.
Why Indian leaders mark this day every year
Tributes to independence-era revolutionaries on their death anniversaries are a fixed ritual of Indian public life — leaders across the political spectrum participate. For the BJP, the framing is especially pointed: Udham Singh's story fuses patriotism, sacrifice, and resistance to colonial injustice into a single, undeniable image. CM Sai's post follows that tradition, grounding the tribute in themes the party consistently amplifies — rashtraprem, swabhiman (national pride, self-respect) — while the underlying history belongs to every Indian.
Each 31 July, state and central government ceremonies are held at memorials honouring Udham Singh, keeping the memory of Jallianwala Bagh and its long aftermath alive in the national consciousness.
Some debts take decades to settle. Udham Singh settled one — and India has not forgotten it.
Point of View
The emphasis on self-respect and resistance to injustice carries deliberate ideological weight, aligning the party with a revolutionary tradition that transcends any single political formation. The ritual also keeps the memory of Jallianwala Bagh — and British colonial violence — active in public discourse, a frame that continues to shape India's sense of national identity decades after independence.
NationPress
31 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Sardar Udham Singh?
Sardar Udham Singh was an Indian revolutionary who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, in London on 13 March 1940 to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He was executed by British authorities on 31 July 1940.
Why is 31 July observed as Udham Singh's martyrdom day?
31 July marks the day in 1940 when British authorities hanged Sardar Udham Singh at Pentonville Prison in London after convicting him of murder for shooting Michael O'Dwyer.
What was the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919 in Amritsar, Punjab, when British Indian Army troops opened fire on an unarmed crowd gathered for Baisakhi celebrations, killing hundreds of civilians. Michael O'Dwyer, as Lieutenant Governor, had sanctioned the orders.
What did Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai say about Udham Singh?
CM Sai described Udham Singh as a symbol of valour, courage and indomitable patriotism, and said his supreme sacrifice would continue to inspire Indians toward love of the motherland, self-respect, and firm resistance to injustice.
Where are Udham Singh's remains kept?
Udham Singh's remains were repatriated from Britain to India in 1974 and now rest at Sunam in Punjab, the town where he was born.
