CM Samrat Choudhary pays tribute to revolutionary Durga Bhabhi
Synopsis
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary paid homage to revolutionary freedom fighter Durga Bhabhi on her death anniversary, honouring her courage as an HSRA operative who helped shield Bhagat Singh from British authorities after the 1928 Lahore operation.
Key Takeaways
Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary posted a tribute to revolutionary Durga Bhabhi on her death anniversary on 15 October 2026 .
Durga Bhabhi, also known as Durga Devi , was a key member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) .
She famously aided Bhagat Singh 's escape from Lahore after the 1928 Saunders killing by posing as his wife.
Choudhary called her an example of 'indomitable courage, unparalleled valour and patriotism' and offered a 'crore-fold salute.' The tribute continues a BJP pattern of commemorating armed revolutionary figures from the 1920s-30s alongside mainstream freedom movement icons.
She disguised Bhagat Singh as her husband to spirit him past British police after one of colonial India's most audacious political assassinations — and nearly a century later, her courage still commands reverence. Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary marked the death anniversary of freedom fighter Durga Bhabhi on Thursday, 15 October 2026, with a heartfelt tribute on X, invoking her sacrifice as an enduring source of national inspiration.
In his post, CM Choudhary wrote: 'Adamya sahas, advitiya shaurya aur rashtrbhakti ki misal' — 'an example of indomitable courage, unparalleled valour and patriotism' — offering 'koti-koti naman' (a crore-fold salute) to the great revolutionary. He added that her sacrifice, dedication and struggle for the freedom of the motherland 'will always inspire all of us.'
Who was Durga Bhabhi — and why her name endures
Durga Bhabhi, also known as Durga Devi, was a key operative of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) — the underground revolutionary network that included Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad. Her most storied act came in the aftermath of the 1928 Lahore killing of British police officer J.P. Saunders, carried out in retaliation for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.
With British authorities closing in, Durga Bhabhi posed as Bhagat Singh's wife on a train out of Lahore, providing the critical cover that allowed him to escape. It was not a passive role — she was an active participant in the resistance, trained in handling weapons and deeply embedded in the HSRA's clandestine operations. Her story represents the armed, defiant strand of India's independence movement that operated far from the public stage.
BJP's pattern of honouring HSRA's forgotten fighters
CM Choudhary's tribute fits a consistent pattern among BJP leaders of commemorating armed revolutionaries from the 1920s and 1930s — figures whose contributions were long overshadowed by the mainstream Gandhian narrative of the freedom struggle. Anniversaries linked to Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, and their associates regularly prompt official statements, social media tributes, and state-level commemorative events.
For a senior Bihar BJP leader like Choudhary, invoking Durga Bhabhi also carries regional resonance — the HSRA drew members from across the Hindi heartland, and their legacy holds particular emotional weight in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The tribute is part of a broader political and cultural project to ensure that the revolutionary tradition of the independence era is kept visible in public memory.
Durga Bhabhi's life is a reminder that India's freedom was not won by any single method or movement — and that some of its bravest architects operated in the shadows, their names still catching up to their deeds.
Point of View
The messaging frames the HSRA tradition as a foundational pillar of Indian nationalism, not a fringe footnote. This aligns with the BJP's broader ideological project of broadening the freedom-movement canon beyond Gandhian non-violence. For CM Choudhary, it also reinforces his standing as a custodian of Bihar's nationalist heritage ahead of any future political cycle.
NationPress
15 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Durga Bhabhi?
Durga Bhabhi, also known as Durga Devi, was a revolutionary freedom fighter and a key member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). She is best known for helping Bhagat Singh escape from Lahore in 1928 after the killing of British police officer J.P. Saunders, by posing as his wife on a train.
What is the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association?
The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) was an underground revolutionary organisation active in the late 1920s and early 1930s that advocated armed resistance against British colonial rule. Its prominent members included Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, and Durga Bhabhi.
Why did Samrat Choudhary pay tribute to Durga Bhabhi?
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary posted a tribute on the occasion of Durga Bhabhi's death anniversary, calling her an example of indomitable courage and patriotism. Such tributes by BJP leaders on anniversaries of revolutionary freedom fighters are a regular part of the party's public commemoration calendar.
What role did Durga Bhabhi play after the 1928 Lahore operation?
After the killing of J.P. Saunders in Lahore in 1928, Durga Bhabhi disguised Bhagat Singh as her husband and accompanied him on a train out of the city, helping him evade pursuing British police. She was an active operative of the HSRA, not merely a supporter.
How do BJP leaders typically commemorate freedom fighters like Durga Bhabhi?
BJP leaders regularly post social media tributes on death and birth anniversaries of armed revolutionaries from the 1920s-1930s, including Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, and Durga Bhabhi. These commemorations are part of an effort to keep the revolutionary tradition of the independence era prominent in public memory.
