Bhagat Singh was convicted on R.Churchill, Gun Maker’s witness in the court at Lahore, says Rakesh Kr Researcher

Ferozepur, May 6, 2017 : Rakesh Kumar – working in Northern Railway Divisional Office –  has come up with his new research that Bhagat Singh was convicted on Robert Churchill, Gun Maker’s witness in the court at Lahore.

Rakesh Kumar – author of various books on on the life and time of Bhagat Singh and others especially on hide place in Ferozepur at Toori Bazaar to plan various revolutionary strategies for freedom of India – has based his research, on authentic historical facts that pistol of Bhagat Singh, used to kill Asstt. Supdt. Of Police John Saunders – was tested by Robert Churchill – a pistol expert of England – who too was a witness in the court to convict both these revolutionaries.

Robert Churchill who joined the firm in 1899 used to assist his uncle E.J.Churchill till his death in 1910 in connection with his work relating to cases in Court.  After his death, he used to be called by the Metropolitan Police to give evidence in such cases. 

Bhagat Singh was supported in this act by his compatriots Sukhdev Thapar and Chandershekhar Azad.  However, their original target was not Sauders ut SP James Scott who had ordered his men to lathi-charge protesters leading to the death of the nationalist leader Lala Lajpat Rai.  Later on, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged to death.  Their trial and execution, however, made them martyrs in the eyes of millions of Indians.

Rakesh Kumar on the basis of his research said, Robert Churchill of UK, had recorded his detailed statement by visiting Lahore, in the court of  J C Hilton Judge on June 26, 1930 that the firing was made from Bhagat Singh’s pistol used at the time of firing on Saundaras as per his inspection of the cartridges cases.  The judge has taken this as evidence while announcing the death sentence to Bhagat Singh.

His research work speaks that Bhagat Singh’s pistol was sent to London from Lahore on July 2, 1929 and of Udham Singh after March 13, 1940 which was inspected by Robert Churchill.

The other two revolutionaries – who later on become prosecution witnesses against Bhagat Singh – were Jai Gopal and Hans Raj Vohra associated with Bhagat Singh for planning strategies to fight against the Britishers’ at the hide-out place in Ferozepur.

He also stated that the pistol recovered from Udham Singh was also sent to Robert Churchill for inspection who had inspected Bhagat Singh’s pistol. Udham Singh – December 26 1899 – July 31 1940 – was also an Indian revolutionary best know for assassinating Sir Michael O’Dwyer the former Lt Governor of the Punjab in British India on March 13, 1940.  The assassination has been described as an avenging of he Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919.

According to custodians of the Central School of Weapons and Tactics Museum at Indore, they were surprised when the black paint on the pistol was removed and matched the serial number (168896) with our records last year. It was Bhagat Singh's pistol.

Revolutionary Bhagat Singh’s pistol, which he used to kill British officer John Saunders in 1928, was sent to the Frontier Headquarters at Jalandhar, over 47 years after it was shifted to the BSF’s CSWT Museum at Indore from the Police Academy in Phillaur in Punjab. The historic semi-automatic .32-bore Colt-make pistol was transferred to BSF’s Frontier Headquarters at Jalandhar and is likely to be displayed at the BSF Museum at Hussainiwala.