On December 17, 1928, exactly one month after the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) executed an armed retaliation in Lahore. Holding Senior Superintendent of Police James A. Scott directly responsible for the lathi charge that led to Rai's death, the revolutionaries planned his assassination. Directed by HSRA Commander-in-Chief Chandrashekhar Azad, the operational team consisted of Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Sukhdev Thapar, and Jai Gopal. Jai Gopal was stationed across from the Police Headquarters on District Courts Road to identify Scott as he departed on his motorcycle.
At approximately 4:00 PM, an officer emerged on a motorcycle from the police headquarters courtyard. In a critical case of mistaken identity, Jai Gopal mistook Assistant Superintendent of Police John P. Saunders for Scott and signaled Rajguru and Bhagat Singh. As Saunders rode his vehicle onto the road, Rajguru stepped forward and fired a single pistol shot into Saunders's neck, throwing him from the motorcycle. Bhagat Singh immediately rushed forward and fired several additional rounds to ensure the target was dead. Realizing an attack had occurred, Indian Head Constable Chanan Singh pursued the fleeing revolutionaries toward the nearby DAV College campus. Chandrashekhar Azad, providing armed cover, warned Chanan Singh to stop, and when he continued the chase, Azad shot him.
The revolutionaries escaped through the corridors of DAV College into prepared safe houses across Lahore. The following day, the HSRA distributed bold pink posters throughout Lahore titled "Notice: Bureaucracy Alert!", declaring that the death of Lala Lajpat Rai had been avenged. Although Saunders was not the intended target, the daring assassination shocked the colonial administration, demonstrating vulnerabilities in police security. The incident elevated Bhagat Singh into a national figure of revolutionary resistance and initiated an intensive British police investigation that led to the historic Lahore Conspiracy Case.
Why it matters
The assassination of J.P. Saunders was the first major armed action carried out by the reconstituted Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). It demonstrated that colonial police officers would face direct consequences for acts of state violence against Indian citizens. Although carried out under mistaken identity, the operation energized public morale across India, demonstrating that armed resistance was active. The event catapulted Bhagat Singh into national prominence and initiated a series of dramatic events that ultimately led to his arrest, trial, and martyrdom.
Interesting fact
To escape the police cordon in Lahore after the shooting, Bhagat Singh cut his sacred hair and beard, wore a Western-style suit and felt hat, and boarded a train posing as a wealthy gentleman accompanied by revolutionary Durgawati Devi (Durga Bhabhi), who acted as his wife.
People
- Bhagat SinghHSRA leader who shot Saunders and executed the escape plan
- Shivaram RajguruHSRA shooter who fired the initial shot at Saunders
- Chandrashekhar AzadHSRA Commander who provided armed cover and shot pursuing constable Chanan Singh
- John P. SaundersAssistant Superintendent of Police killed in a case of mistaken identity
- Jai GopalHSRA member assigned to identify Police Chief Scott who mistakenly signaled Saunders
- Chanan SinghPolice Head Constable who pursued the revolutionaries and was killed by Azad
Quotes
"The murder of a leader respected by millions of people at the hands of an ordinary police officer was an insult to the nation. It was the bounden duty of young men of India to rehabilitate the damaged prestige of the nation."
Location
District Police Headquarters, Lahore · Lahore · British India (now Pakistan)
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