Delhi conspiracy case: Difference between revisions

The '''Delhi Conspiracy case''', also known as the '''Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy''', refers to an attempt made in 1912 to assassinate the then [[Viceroy of India]], [[Charles Hardinge|Lord Hardinge]] by throwing local bomb, on the occasion of transferring the capital of [[British India]] from [[Calcutta]] to [[New Delhi]]. Hatched by the [[Revolutionary movement for Indian independence|Indian revolutionary underground]] in [[Bengal]] and Punjab and headed by [[Rash Behari Bose]], the conspiracy culminated in the attempted assassination on 23 December 1912, when a homemade bomb was thrown into the Viceroy's [[howdah]] as the ceremonial procession was moving through the [[Chandni Chowk]] suburb of [[Delhi]].

The Viceroy and vicerine were sitting on an elephant and entering the city.<ref name="emiko">{{cite news |last1=Jozuka |first1=Emiko |title=he Indian revolutionary who fought to overthrow British rule while living in Japan |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/09/asia/japan-indian-freedom-fighter-hnk-intl/index.html |access-date=12 August 2021 |agency=CNN |date=10 May 2020}}</ref> [[ Basanta Kumar Biswas ]] a revolutionary from Nadia village threw homemade bomb at the Viceroy who was seated on an elephant. Although injured in the attack, the Viceroy escaped with flesh wounds, but the servant behind him holding his parasol was killed. Lady Hardinge was unscathed; as was the elephant and its [[mahout]] (handler). Lord Hardinge himself was injured all over the back, legs, and head by fragments of the bomb, the flesh on his shoulders being torn in strips.<ref>{{cite news|title=India Truly Loyal, Says Hardinge|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1916/05/20/104675740.pdf|newspaper=New York Times|date=20 May 1916}}</ref> Viceroy and Vicerine were making their ceremonial entry to new capital of India, Delhi.<ref name="mor">{{cite web |title=Viceroy of India is injured by Bomb Attendent killed. |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MP19121224.2.42&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |website=UCR Centre for Bibliographical studies and research |publisher=UCR |access-date=12 August 2021}}</ref> The howdah in which they were travelling was blown into pieces and there was some difficulty to remove Viceroy from the back of elephant on which they were travelling. The servant behind him was dead as observed by Vicerine.<ref name=mor/> The man killed was an umbrella bearer and he acted in that capacity to previous viceroy Lord Curzon also.<ref name=mor/>

In the aftermath of the event, efforts were made to destroy the Bengali and Punjabi revolutionary underground, which came under intense pressure for some time. [[Rash Behari Bose]],<ref>Indian Freedom Fighters by Vipin Chandra</ref> identified as the person who threw the bomb, successfully evaded capture for nearly three years, becoming involved in the [[Hindu German Conspiracy#February 1915|Ghadar conspiracy]] before it was uncovered, then fleeing to [[Imperial Japan|Japan]] in 1915.

A reward of Rs.10,000 (approximately $3,300) was announced for the arrest of bomb thrower and the identity was not immediately know to Government agencies. <ref name=mor/> The investigations in the aftermath of the assassination attempt led to the Delhi Conspiracy trial. The case was filed against Lala Hanumant Sahai, [[Basant Kumar Biswas]], [[Bhai Balmukund]], Amir Chand and Avadh Behari. On 5 October 1914 Lala Hanumant Sahai was sentenced to life imprisonment in the [[Andaman Islands]], and the other four were sentenced to death for their roles in the conspiracy. Basanta Kumar Biswas was hanged on 11 May 1915 at Ambala Central Jail in Punjab aged twenty and became one of the youngest people to be executed during the Indian revolutionary struggles during the 20th century.

*[[Rash Bihari Bose]]

  | given1 = Amit K

  | title = Defying Death: Nationalist Revolutionism in India, 1897-1938.Social Scientist, Vol. 25, No. 9/10. (Sep. - Oct., 1997), pp. 3-27

  | publisher = Social Scientist

  | title = Like Hidden Fire: The Plot to Bring Down the British Empire.

  | publisher = Kodansha Globe

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040920053932/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/08/02/stories/2004080200420200.htm The revolutionary of Chandni Chowk].[[The Hindu]].

*[http://in.news.yahoo.com/070818/32/6jm8o.html Sourced from] [[Hindustan Times]], 19 August 2007.