|
Bhagat
Singh's
last
petition
To,
The
Punjab
Governor
Sir,
With
due
respect
we
beg
to
bring
to
your
kind
notice
the
following:
That
we
were
sentenced
to
death
on
7th
October
1930
by a
British
Court,
L.C.C
Tribunal,
constituted
under
the
Sp.
Lahore
Conspiracy
Case
Ordinance,
promulgated
by
the
H.E.
The
Viceroy,
the
Head
of
the
British
Government
of
India,
and
that
the
main
charge
against
us
was
that
of
having
waged
war
against
H.M.
King
George,
the
King
of
England.
The
above-mentioned
finding
of
the
Court
pre-supposed
two
things:
Firstly,
that
there
exists
a
state
of
war
between
the
British
Nation
and
the
Indian
Nation
and,
secondly,
that
we
had
actually
participated
in
that
war
and
were
therefore
war
prisoners.
The
second
pre-supposition
seems
to be
a
little
bit
flattering,
but
nevertheless
it is
too
tempting
to
resist
the
desire
of
acquiescing
in
it.
As
regards
the
first,
we
are
constrained
to go
into
some
detail.
Apparently
there
seems
to be
no
such
war
as
the
phrase
indicates.
Nevertheless,
please
allow
us to
accept
the
validity
of
the
pre-supposition
taking
it at
its
face
value.
But
in
order
to be
correctly
understood
we
must
explain
it
further.
Let
us
declare
that
the
state
of
war
does
exist
and
shall
exist
so
long
as
the
Indian
toiling
masses
and
the
natural
resources
are
being
exploited
by a
handful
of
parasites.
They
may
be
purely
British
Capitalist
or
mixed
British
and
Indian
or
even
purely
Indian.
They
may
be
carrying
on
their
insidious
exploitation
through
mixed
or
even
on
purely
Indian
bureaucratic
apparatus.
All
these
things
make
no
difference.
No
matter,
if
your
Government
tries
and
succeeds
in
winning
over
the
leaders
of
the
upper
strata
of
the
Indian
Society
through
petty
concessions
and
compromises
and
thereby
cause
a
temporary
demoralization
in
the
main
body
of
the
forces.
No
matter,
if
once
again
the
vanguard
of
the
Indian
movement,
the
Revolutionary
Party,
finds
itself
deserted
in
the
thick
of
the
war.
No
matter
if
the
leaders
to
whom
personally
we
are
much
indebted
for
the
sympathy
and
feelings
they
expressed
for
us,
but
nevertheless
we
cannot
overlook
the
fact
that
they
did
become
so
callous
as to
ignore
and
not
to
make
a
mention
in
the
peace
negotiation
of
even
the
homeless,
friendless
and
penniless
of
female
workers
who
are
alleged
to be
belonging
to
the
vanguard
and
whom
the
leaders
consider
to be
enemies
of
their
utopian
non-violent
cult
which
has
already
become
a
thing
of
the
past;
the
heroines
who
had
ungrudgingly
sacrificed
or
offered
for
sacrifice
their
husbands,
brothers,
and
all
that
were
nearest
and
dearest
to
them,
including
themselves,
whom
your
government
has
declared
to be
outlaws.
No
matter,
it
your
agents
stoop
so
low
as to
fabricate
baseless
calumnies
against
their
spotless
characters
to
damage
their
and
their
party's
reputation.
The
war
shall
continue.
It
may
assume
different
shapes
at
different
times.
It
may
become
now
open,
now
hidden,
now
purely
agitational,
now
fierce
life
and
death
struggle.
The
choice
of
the
course,
whether
bloody
or
comparatively
peaceful,
which
it
should
adopt
rests
with
you.
Choose
whichever
you
like.
But
that
war
shall
be
incessantly
waged
without
taking
into
consideration
the
petty
(illegible)
and
the
meaningless
ethical
ideologies.
It
shall
be
waged
ever
with
new
vigour,
greater
audacity
and
unflinching
determination
till
the
Socialist
Republic
is
established
and
the
present
social
order
is
completely
replaced
by a
new
social
order,
based
on
social
prosperity
and
thus
every
sort
of
exploitation
is
put
an
end
to
and
the
humanity
is
ushered
into
the
era
of
genuine
and
permanent
peace.
In
the
very
near
future
the
final
battle
shall
be
fought
and
final
settlement
arrived
at.
The
days
of
capitalist
and
imperialist
exploitation
are
numbered.
The
war
neither
began
with
us
nor
is it
going
to
end
with
our
lives.
It is
the
inevitable
consequence
of
the
historic
events
and
the
existing
environments.
Our
humble
sacrifices
shall
be
only
a
link
in
the
chain
that
has
very
accurately
been
beautified
by
the
unparalleled
sacrifice
of
Mr.
Das
and
most
tragic
but
noblest
sacrifice
of
Comrade
Bhagawati
Charan
and
the
glorious
death
of
our
dear
warrior
Azad.
As to
the
question
of
our
fates,
please
allow
us to
say
that
when
you
have
decided
to
put
us to
death,
you
will
certainly
do
it.
You
have
got
the
power
in
your
hands
and
the
power
is
the
greatest
justification
in
this
world.
We
know
that
the
maxim
"Might
is
right"
serves
as
your
guiding
motto.
The
whole
of
our
trial
was
just
a
proof
of
that.
We
wanted
to
point
out
that
according
to
the
verdict
of
your
court
we
had
waged
war
and
were
therefore
war
prisoners.
And
we
claim
to be
treated
as
such,
i.e.,
we
claim
to be
shot
dead
instead
of to
be
hanged.
It
rests
with
you
to
prove
that
you
really
meant
what
your
court
has
said.
We
request
and
hope
that
you
will
very
kindly
order
the
military
department
to
send
its
detachment
to
perform
our
execution.
Yours'
BHAGAT
SINGH
|
