Punjab CM Mann pays tribute to Shaheed Udham Singh on martyrdom anniversary
Synopsis
The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann offered official salutations to revolutionary martyr Shaheed Udham Singh on his martyrdom anniversary, 31 July 2026, continuing the state's annual tradition of honouring the man who avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Key Takeaways
The Chief Minister's Office of Punjab posted an official tribute to Shaheed Udham Singh on 31 July 2026 , his martyrdom anniversary.
Udham Singh was executed on 31 July 1940 at Pentonville Prison, London, after assassinating Michael O'Dwyer to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre .
The tribute was issued in the name of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann , who has led the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab since 2022 .
Punjab governments have maintained this annual 31 July observance since statehood, across party lines.
Udham Singh's remains rest at Sunam, Sangrur district — his birthplace — where a state memorial stands in his honour.
On the 31st of July — the day in 1940 when a British gallows ended the life of one of India's most audacious freedom fighters — the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann paused to bow before the memory of Shaheed Udham Singh, offering what the official post called koti-koti pranaam (countless salutations) to the great revolutionary martyr.
The Chief Minister's Office of Punjab posted the tribute in Punjabi on Friday, 31 July 2026, marking Udham Singh's Shahidi Diwas — his martyrdom anniversary — with a formal salutation from the state government. The post read: 'The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann pays countless salutations to the great revolutionary martyr Udham Singh Ji on the occasion of his martyrdom day.'
The act that defined a generation's fury
Udham Singh was barely a teenager when British troops under the command of General Reginald Dyer, on the orders of Lieutenant Governor Michael O'Dwyer, opened fire on a peaceful gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on 13 April 1919. Hundreds were killed. Udham Singh, an eyewitness, carried that wound for two decades. On 13 March 1940, he shot and killed O'Dwyer at a public meeting in London's Caxton Hall — a cold, calculated act of retribution that sent a message across the empire. He was hanged at Pentonville Prison on 31 July 1940, refusing to show remorse.
Punjab's unbroken thread of remembrance
Punjab governments across party lines have issued official tributes to Udham Singh on 31 July every year since statehood, a practice that connects each successive administration to the state's central place in India's anti-colonial story. For the Aam Aadmi Party government under CM Bhagwant Singh Mann — himself a son of Punjab who came to power in 2022 — the annual observance is both a civic ritual and a political statement of continuity with that resistance tradition.
Udham Singh's remains were repatriated to India in 1974 and interred at Sunam, his birthplace in Punjab's Sangrur district, where a memorial stands in his honour. His name is invoked across Punjab's schools, streets, and stadiums — a measure of how deeply his sacrifice is woven into the state's identity.
Eighty-six years after the gallows, Punjab still counts. And on this day, it says so out loud.
Point of View
Where proximity to the state's anti-colonial martyrs carries real electoral weight. For the AAP government under Bhagwant Mann, continuing this tradition reinforces its claim to Punjab's Sikh and nationalist sentiment at a time when the party is consolidating its foothold in the state. The ritual also reflects a broader pattern across Indian state governments: invoking independence-era heroes to anchor contemporary administrations in a longer arc of sacrifice and resistance. What distinguishes Punjab's observance is the personal immediacy — Udham Singh is not an abstraction here, but a neighbour from Sangrur whose story is taught in local schools and whose memorial is a living site.
NationPress
31 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Shaheed Udham Singh?
Udham Singh was a Punjabi revolutionary who assassinated former Punjab Lieutenant Governor Michael O'Dwyer in London on 13 March 1940 to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. He was hanged on 31 July 1940 and is revered as a martyred freedom fighter in India.
Why is 31 July observed as Udham Singh's martyrdom day?
Udham Singh was executed by hanging at Pentonville Prison, London, on 31 July 1940, following his conviction for the assassination of Michael O'Dwyer. This date is commemorated annually as his Shahidi Diwas across Punjab and India.
What did the Punjab government post on Udham Singh's martyrdom anniversary 2026?
The Chief Minister's Office of Punjab posted an official tribute on 31 July 2026, offering 'countless salutations' (koti-koti pranaam) to Shaheed Udham Singh in the name of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann and the Punjab government.
Where is Udham Singh's memorial in Punjab?
Udham Singh's remains, repatriated from the UK in 1974, are interred at Sunam in Sangrur district — his birthplace — where a state memorial stands in his honour.
Who is Bhagwant Singh Mann?
Bhagwant Singh Mann is the Chief Minister of Punjab, leading the Aam Aadmi Party government since March 2022. He represents Dhuri constituency and is the first AAP chief minister of the state.
