Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann pays tribute to Shaheed Udham Singh
Synopsis
The Chief Minister's Office of Punjab, under CM Bhagwant Mann, paid tribute to Shaheed Udham Singh on his martyrdom day, 31 July — the date he was hanged in London in 1940 after avenging the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by assassinating Michael O'Dwyer.
Key Takeaways
Shaheed Udham Singh was hanged on 31 July 1940 at Pentonville Prison, London, making this his martyrdom anniversary.
Singh assassinated Michael O'Dwyer , the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab who approved the Jallianwala Bagh firing of 1919 .
The tribute was issued by the Chief Minister's Office of Punjab on behalf of CM Bhagwant Mann and the AAP government.
Punjab governments routinely observe the martyrdom anniversaries of Udham Singh, Bhagat Singh , and Kartar Singh Sarabha as part of the state's official historical memory.
The AAP government, in power since 2022 , has consistently invoked Punjab's revolutionary tradition in its public communications.
Eighty-six years after a British rope silenced him, Shaheed Udham Singh is remembered once more — this time by the government of the very province whose soil shaped his rage and his resolve. On 31 July 2026, the Chief Minister's Office of Punjab posted a formal tribute marking the martyrdom anniversary of the revolutionary who avenged Jallianwala Bagh on a London stage.
The act that made Udham Singh immortal
Udham Singh was hanged on 31 July 1940 at Pentonville Prison, London, after assassinating Michael O'Dwyer — the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab who had approved Brigadier General Reginald Dyer's order to open fire at Jallianwala Bagh on 13 April 1919. Singh had witnessed the massacre as a young man and spent two decades plotting his response. His execution transformed him into one of the most potent symbols of Punjab's anti-colonial resistance.
Punjab's calendar of revolutionary memory
The tribute from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's government follows a well-established pattern: Punjab administrations across party lines have long marked the anniversaries of the state's independence-era martyrs. 31 July for Udham Singh, 23 March for Bhagat Singh, 17 November for Kartar Singh Sarabha — these dates anchor the state's official memory of its sacrifices under colonial rule. For the Aam Aadmi Party government, which has leaned into the iconography of Punjab's revolutionary tradition since taking office in 2022, the observance carries both historical weight and political identity.
The post called Singh a 'great revolutionary,' paying what it described as 'humble tributes' on his martyrdom day — language that is formal, reverent, and deliberately understated, letting the scale of Singh's sacrifice speak for itself.
Point of View
Invoking Udham Singh on 31 July reinforces its positioning as the inheritor of Punjab's radical, anti-establishment spirit, a brand it has cultivated since 2022. The pattern of fixed-date commemorations also signals continuity with earlier administrations, suggesting these observances have graduated from partisan gesture to state institution. What distinguishes the current government's approach is the consistency and visibility with which it amplifies this calendar, using social media to keep the revolutionary iconography in daily public circulation.
NationPress
31 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 31 July significant for Shaheed Udham Singh?
31 July 1940 is the date on which Udham Singh was hanged at Pentonville Prison in London after being convicted of assassinating Michael O'Dwyer , making it his martyrdom anniversary.
Who was Udham Singh and what did he do?
Udham Singh was a Punjabi revolutionary who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer in London on 13 March 1940 in retaliation for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919, in which O'Dwyer, as Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, had approved the order to open fire on unarmed civilians.
Who is paying tribute to Udham Singh in 2026?
The Chief Minister's Office of Punjab , representing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party government, issued a formal tribute on 31 July 2026 .
What is the connection between Udham Singh and Jallianwala Bagh?
Udham Singh is believed to have witnessed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on 13 April 1919 as a young man. He spent over two decades pursuing Michael O'Dwyer , whom he held responsible for approving the massacre, before assassinating him in London.
Which other Punjab martyrs does the state government commemorate?
Punjab governments observe the martyrdom anniversaries of Bhagat Singh on 23 March and Kartar Singh Sarabha on 17 November , alongside Udham Singh on 31 July , as part of the state's formal calendar of revolutionary remembrance.
