Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann pays tribute to Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra
Synopsis
The Punjab government, led by CM Bhagwant Mann, paid tribute to Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra on his martyrdom anniversary on 17 August — marking 117 years since the Amritsar-born revolutionary was executed in London for his act of armed resistance against British colonial rule.
Key Takeaways
The Chief Minister's Office of Punjab paid tribute to Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra on 17 August , his martyrdom anniversary.
Madan Lal Dhingra was hanged on 17 August 1909 at Pentonville Prison, London , after assassinating British official Curzon Wyllie in 1909 .
Dhingra was born in Amritsar, Punjab , and is regarded as one of India's earliest revolutionary martyrs.
CM Bhagwant Mann 's Aam Aadmi Party government has been in power in Punjab since 2022 .
Punjab has a documented tradition of producing revolutionary freedom fighters, including Bhagat Singh , Sukhdev , and Rajguru .
On the 117th anniversary of his execution, Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra — the Amritsar-born revolutionary who carried the fire of Indian resistance all the way to the heart of the British Empire — is being remembered by the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The Chief Minister's Office of Punjab on Monday, 17 August posted a formal tribute, calling Dhingra a 'great freedom fighter and revolutionary' and paying 'humble tribute' on his martyrdom day.
The man who shook London in 1909
Madan Lal Dhingra was a student in London when, on 1 July 1909, he shot and killed Sir William Curzon Wyllie, a British political aide-de-camp at the India Office, at a public function. The act was a deliberate political statement against colonial rule — Dhingra made no attempt to flee. He was tried, convicted, and hanged on 17 August 1909 at Pentonville Prison, London, becoming one of the earliest Indian revolutionaries to be executed on British soil. He was in his mid-twenties. His final statement in court, in which he declared that every Indian owed a duty to avenge the subjugation of his motherland, became a foundational text for subsequent revolutionary movements across Punjab and beyond.Punjab's long lineage of revolutionary martyrs
For Punjab, Dhingra is not an isolated figure — he is part of a constellation that includes Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru. The state's identity is deeply intertwined with the tradition of armed resistance to colonial rule, and successive governments — regardless of party — have maintained the practice of issuing formal commemorations on martyrdom anniversaries. The Aam Aadmi Party government under Bhagwant Mann, which came to power in 2022, has continued this tradition as part of its official communication linking the current administration to the freedom struggle. These annual tributes serve a dual function: they honour historical figures and reinforce the state's self-image as the crucible of India's revolutionary spirit.Point of View
But it sits within a broader pattern of AAP's political identity-building in a state where the freedom struggle carries deep cultural weight. For Bhagwant Mann's government, invoking Punjab's revolutionary lineage reinforces a narrative of moral continuity between historical sacrifice and contemporary governance. These tributes also reflect how Indian state governments use martyrdom anniversaries as low-cost, high-resonance tools of political communication. The practice is bipartisan and largely uncontested, which makes it durable across electoral cycles.
NationPress
17 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Madan Lal Dhingra?
Madan Lal Dhingra was an Indian revolutionary from Amritsar, Punjab , who assassinated British official Curzon Wyllie in London in 1909 as an act of protest against British colonial rule. He was hanged on 17 August 1909 .
Why is 17 August significant for Madan Lal Dhingra?
17 August marks the day in 1909 when Madan Lal Dhingra was executed at Pentonville Prison in London, making it his martyrdom anniversary.
Why did the Punjab government pay tribute to Madan Lal Dhingra?
The Punjab government , led by CM Bhagwant Mann , issued a formal tribute on his martyrdom anniversary as part of the state's longstanding tradition of commemorating freedom fighters from Punjab.
Who is Bhagwant Mann?
Bhagwant Mann is the Chief Minister of Punjab , heading the Aam Aadmi Party government that came to power in the state in 2022 .
What did Madan Lal Dhingra do in London?
On 1 July 1909 , Madan Lal Dhingra shot and killed Sir William Curzon Wyllie , a British political aide-de-camp at the India Office, at a public function in London, as a deliberate act of resistance against colonial rule.
