Lala Hanumant Sahai - a forgotten revolutionary

Lala Hanumant Sahai was an Indian revolutionary, a member of Bharat Mata Society (en: a society formed by some of Indian revolutionaries in 1907 under the leadership of Sufi Amba Prasad^[1] and an accused of the Hardinge Bomb Conspiracy Case^[1].He was sentenced to life imprisonment which was reduced to seven years' rigorous imprisonment^[2].He was a Kayastha by caste so people called him Lalaji. He was last seen by an english writer R.V.Smith in the winter season of 1965^[2]. He died unknown and unnoticed in the small cell (hi: Kothri) of his Haveli in Chandni Chowk area of old Delhi.


Brief memoires:
Lalaji was a wholesale dealer of foreign goods in Chandni Chowk Delhi. When he came in close contact of Lala Har Dayal and studied his books, he was drawn deeper into the freedom struggle. He opened a school of National thoughts in his Haveli at Mohalla Chailpuri in old Delhi where Master Amir Chand was a appointed as a principal^[3] The school and the reading room situated in this Haveli of Lala Hanumant Sahai had became a regular haunt of revolutionaries like Ras Bihari Bose, Master Awadh Bihari and Basanta Kumar Biswas etc.
Lalaji became an active member of Bharat Mata Society which was formed by Amba Prasad Bhatnagar in 1907.^[4] When the Viceroy, Lord Hardinge drove to Delhi in December 1912 from Calcutta, Ras Bihari Bose made a plan to kill him.^[5].
In an interview given to the writer Smith, Lalaji had told: "Great preparations were made for the Viceroy's sawari (en: procession). Seats were arranged in the middle of Chandni Chowk and tickets were sold from Rs.50 to 300 in the black market. My seat was on Esplanade Road. Suddenly, as the procession neared Moti Bazar, there was a loud explosion. People thought a canon had been fired but I knew what had happened, so I came running to the scene. The Viceroy laid unconscious and was bleeding havily. The servant who was sitting behind him, had been blown to pieces by the homemade bomb. And Viceroy's wife, Lady Hardinge, though unhurt, also laid unconscious. They were taken to the Red Fort but the procession did not stop, it continued."^[2]
Lalaji escaped from the police search, left Delhi and remained hidden underground in the house of his friend Sunder Lal which was situated under the hills of Shimla at his native place Solan. When police reached there to arrest Sunder Lal in some other case, then it was revealed that Lalaji was hidden in that house.^[6]
Life imprisonment:
Later Lalaji, Master Amir Chand, Master Awadh Behari, Bhai Balmukund and Basant Kumar Biswas were arrested and tried^[2]. Lalaji was sentenced to life imprisonment and was sent to the Andamans whereas the others were sentenced to death. Later an appeal was filed and Lalaji's life sentence was reduced to seven years' rigorous imprisonment, while the supreme sacrifice of his associates is still recalled every year when homage is paid to the Hardinge Bomb Case martyrs behind the Khooni Darwaza, where the Delhi Jail once stood. Now a Dental College in the name of Maulana Azad Medical College has been established there.
After his release from jail, Lalaji joined the Indian National Congress and from then onward he was in and out of the prison for various cases connected with the Indian freedom movement.^[2]
Top secret:

The Hardinge Bomb conspiracy was the direct offshoot of the transfer of the Capital from Calcutta to New Delhi. Not that the people of Delhi did not like the move but they were opposed to the British seeking mileage out of it. Some false stories that more than one lakh Bengalis would be settled in Delhi also added fuel to the fire and stirred up local resentment. But then how does one explain the involvement of Rash Bihari Bose and Basant Kumar in the conspiracy?^[2]

To his dying day Sahai did not disclose the name of the person who had actually thrown the bomb on the Viceroy. "That secret will go down to the grave with me," he declared and kept his words!
Only for a day:
When India got freedom in 1947, Lalaji stopped comming out of his Haveli. He used to come out only for a day on 15 August every year to see the flag hosting ceremony at Lal Qila (Delhi). When the people asked the reason he replied: "I go there to see how those people look speeking from the rampart of Red Fort, who betrayed us in freedom struggle of India."^[7]


Footnotes:

a ^{^} Kalam Aaaj Unkee Jay Bol refers to a History book written by Jagdish 'Jagesh' containing so many references & rare photographs etc. This book confirms about Lala Hanumant Sahai being an active member of Bharat Mata Society & his participation in the Indian freedom struggle.

b ^{^} Bhartiya Krantikari Andolan Ka Itihas refers to a History book written by Manmath Nath Gupta who himself was a revolutionary. The book contains so many authentic references & rare photographs of his times. Some facts about Lala Hanumant Sahai's residence in Chailpuri Mohalla of Chandni Chowk & Viceroy's murder attemp are given in this book.

c ^{^} Krantikari Kosh refers to a Context book of Indian revolutionaries written by Shrikrishna Saral who wrote more than 100 books. He was a called as a living revolutionary who sold even the household belonging to collect information. The book contains some historical facts about Lala Hanumant Sahai in 3 pages.

d ^{^} Bharat Ka Mukti Sangram refers to an acedemic book of Indian Freedom War written by Ayodhya Singh who wrote so many books. This book contains some historical facts about Hanumant Sahai's involvement in Viceroy Bomb Case of Delhi.

e ^{^} Swadhinta Sangram Ke Krantikari Sahitya Ka Itihas refers to an acedemic History book of Indian indepedence struggle written by Dr. 'Krant' M. L. Verma who was awarded senior fellowship for this project. This book contains authentic facts in a nutshell about Lala Hanumant Sahai on page 241 (Vol-I) and group photo of Bharat Mata Society on page no 860 (Vol-III).

Citations:

1. ^ ^{a b} Jagesh, Jagdish (1989). Kalam Aaaj Unkee Jay Bol (in Hindi). Varanasi: Hindi Pracharak Sansthan. p. 77. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "The revolutionary of Chandni Chowk". The Hindu. 2004-08-02. Retrieved 2012-06-15. 
3.  ^ Gupta, Manmathnath (1993). Bhartiya Krantikari Andolan Ka Itihas (in Hindi) (7 ed.). Delhi: Atmaram and Sons. p. 62. ISBN 81-7043-054-2. 
4. ^ Radhan 2002, p. 351
5. ^ Saral, Shreekrishna (1998). Krantikari Kosh (in Hindi) 2 (1 ed.). New Delhi: Prabhat Prakashan. pp. 209–212. ISBN 81-7315-233-0. 
6. ^ Singh, Ayodhya (2003). Bharat Ka Mukti Sangram (in Hindi) (3 ed.). Delhi: Granth Shilpi. p. 225. ISBN 81-7917-033-0 (PB) Check |isbn= value (help). 
7.  ^ Verma, Dr.'Krant' M. L. (2006). Swadhinta Sangram Ke Krantikari Sahitya Ka Itihas (in Hindi) 1 (1 ed.). New Delhi: Praveen Prakashan. p. 241. ISBN 81-7783-119-4 

References:

• Radhan, O. P. (2002). Encyclopaedia of Political Parties. Anmol Publications Pvt ltd. ISBN 81-7488-865-9 

• Jagesh, Jagdish (1989). Kalam Aaaj Unkee Jay Bol (in Hindi). Varanasi: Hindi Pracharak Sansthan. pp. 77 & 103. 

• Gupta, Manmathnath (1993). Bhartiya Krantikari Andolan Ka Itihas (in Hindi) (7 ed.). Delhi: Atmaram and Sons. p. 62. ISBN 81-7043-054-2. 

• Saral, Shrikrishna (1998). Krantikari Kosh (in Hindi) 2 (1 ed.). New Delhi: Prabhat Prakashan. pp. 209–212. ISBN 81-7315-233-0. 

• Singh, Ayodhya (2003). Bharat Ka Mukti Sangram (in Hindi) (3 ed.). Delhi: Granth Shilpi. p. 225. ISBN 81-7917-033-0 (PB) . 

• Verma, Dr.'Krant' M. L. (2006). Swadhinta Sangram Ke Krantikari Sahitya Ka Itihas (in Hindi) 1 (1 ed.). New Delhi: Praveen Prakashan. p. 241. ISBN 81-7783-119-4.