Transcript from the trial of Shaheed Udham Singh

After completion of Udham Singh's evidence, Mr. McLure addressed the jury on behalf of prosecution and then St. John Hutchinson spoke on behalf of Udham Singh. After this the judge, Mr. Atkinson summed up the case. He argued that it was not necessary to prove the intent of murder, but the damage done was intentional. It was not accidental or even partly accidental. Udham Singh went fully armed to the meeting, and with a grievance which he was frank enough to admit. He hated British rule in India. He went to the meeting to protest by firing his revolver. The Judge mentioned the Amritsar massacre
(Jallianwala bagh massacre of April 1919) and also stressed that Zetland was another target because he was connected with Indian political affairs.
The jury found Udham Singh guilty of murder. The clerk of the court addressed Udham Singh 'that he stood convicted of murder' and 'if he had anything to say as to why the court should not give you the death penalty according to the law?'
Udham Singh said that he had a statement to make. He put on a pair of glasses, whispered to the warders, and produced a sheet of paper and began to read. Facing the Judge, he said:
"I say down with British Imperialism. You say India does not have peace. We have only slavery. Generations of so called civilisation has brought for us everything filthy and degrading known to the human race. All you have to do is read your own history. If you have any human decency about you, you should die with shame. The brutality and blood thirsty way in which the so called intellectuals, who call themselves the rulers of civilisation in the world are of bastard blood…"
Atkinson: "I am not going to listen to a political speech."
U Singh: "You asked me if I had anything to say."
Atkinson: "If you have anything to relevant to this case, say it."
U Singh: "I say this - this is my case. I was going to protest and this is what I am protesting."(He brandished the sheet of papers at the judge)
Atkinson: "Is it written in English?"
U Singh: "Yes."
Atkinson: "I shall understand it much better if you will hand it to me to read."
U Singh: "No, I want it for myself, not for you."
Atkinson: "I can not make out what you are saying."
U Singh: "You will understand what I am reading now. Do you want me to read it or not?"
Atkinson: "I shall understand much more of it if you give it to me to read."
U Singh: "Who will read it?"
Atkinson: "I will read it."
U Singh: "I want the jury and the whole lot to read it."(McLure reminded the judge that under section six of the Emergency Powers Act, Udham Singh's speech could not be reported or heard in the camera.)
Atkinson: "You may take it that nothing will be published of what you say."
U Singh: "Eh?"
Atkinson: "You must stick to the point, but go on."
U Singh: "I did it to protest and this is what I mean. I want to explain. The jury was misled about the address. I shall read it now. Shall I read it now?"
Atkinson: "Yes."
U Singh: "I shall like to read the lot, you know."
Atkinson: "You are only entitled to say why the death sentence should not be passed upon you. You are not to entitle to make a political speech."
U Singh: (Shouting):"I DO NOT CARE ABOUT SENTENCE OF DEATH. IT MEANS NOTHING AT ALL. I DO NOT CARE ABOUT DYING OR ANYTHING." (Thumping the rail of the dock, he exclaimed): "WE ARE SUFFERING FROM THE BRITISH EMPIRE. (He continued more quietly): "I am not afraid to die. I am proud to die. I want to help my native land, and I hope when I have gone, that in my place will come others of my countrymen to drive the dirty dogs. I am standing before an English jury in an English court. You people go to India and when you come back you are given prizes and put into the House of Commons, but when we come to England we are put to death. In my case I do not care about it, but when you dirty dogs come to India - the intellectuals they call themselves, the rulers - they are of bastard blood caste, and they order machine guns to fire on Indian students without hesitation… Machine guns on the streets of India now down thousands of poor women and children wherever your so-called flag of democracy and Christianity flies. I have nothing against the public at all. I have more English friends in England than I do in India. I have nothing against the public. I have great sympathy with the workers of England, but I am against the dirty British Government. You people are suffering the same as I am suffering through those dirty dogs and mad beasts. India is only slavery. Killing, mutilating and destroying. We know what is going on in India, people do not read about it in the press. Hundreds of thousands of people being killed by your dirty dogs…"
Atkinson: "I am not going to any more, you can put this paper away. I am going to pass sentence upon you."
U Singh: "You do not want to listen any more because you are tired of my speech, eh? I have a lot to say yet."
Atkinson: "I am not going to hear any more of that."
U Singh: "You asked me if I had anything to say."
Atkinson: "I am not going to hear…"
U Singh: "You people are dirty. You don't want to hear from us about what you are doing in India. Beasts, Beasts, Beasts…"

The judge made the proclamation of the sentence of death on Udham Singh. When the sentence was passed, thrusting his glasses back into his pocket, Udham Singh thumped his clenched fist on the rail of the dock and shouted three words in Hindustani:
"INQLAB, INQLAB, INQLAB"
and then:
"DOWN WITH BRITISH IMPERIALISM. DOWN WITH BRITISH DIRTY DOGS! AND LONG LIVE INDIA!"

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On the 31st July, 1940, Udham Singh was hanged at Pentonville Jail, London. On the 4th of June in the same year, he had been arraigned before Mr. Justice Atkinson at the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey. Udham Singh was charged with the murder of Sir Michael O'Dwyer, the former Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab who had approved of the action of Brigadier-General R.E.H. Dyer at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar on April 13, 1919, an event which resulted in the massacre of hundreds of men, women and children and left over 1,000 wounded during the course of a peaceful political meeting. The assassination of O'Dwyer took place at the Caxton Hall, Westminster. The trial of Udham Singh lasted for two days; he was found guilty and sentenced to death. On the 15th July, 1940, the Court of Criminal Appeal heard and dismissed the appeal of Udham Singh.

Prior to passing the sentence, Mr. Justice Atkinson asked Udham Singh whether he had anything to say. Replying in the affirmative he began to read from prepared notes. The judge repeatedly interrupted Udham Singh and ordered the press not to report the statement. Both in Britain and India, the government made strenuous efforts to ensure that the trial received minimal publicity. Reuters were approached for this purpose.

The father of Udham Singh, Tehl Singh, was born into a poor peasant family and worked as a Railway Gate Keeper at the railway level crossing at Village Uppali. Udham Singh was born on 28th December, 1899 at Sanam, Sangrur District, Punjab. After the death of his father, Udham Singh was brought up in a Sikh orphanage in Amritsar. The massacre at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 was deeply engraved in the mind of the future martyr. At the age of 16, Udham Singh defied the curfew and was wounded in the course of retrieving the body of the husband of one Rattan Devi in the aftermath of the slaughter. Subsequently, Udham Singh travelled abroad in Africa, the United States, and Europe. Over the years he met Lala Lajpat Rai, Kishen Singh and Bhagat Singh, whom he considered his guru and 'his best friend.' In 1927, Udham Singh was arrested in Amritsar under the Arms Act. The impact of the Russian revolution on him is indicated by the fact that amongst the revolutionary tracts found by the raiding party was Rusi Ghaddar Gian Samachar. After serving his sentence and visiting his home town, Udham Singh resumed his travels abroad. If it was the Jallianwala Bagh massacre which provided the turning point of his life which led him to avenge the dead, it was Bhagat Singh who provided him with the inspiration to pursue the path of revolutionary struggle.

Echoes of Kartar Singh Sarabha and Bhagat Singh may be found in the words of Udham Singh in the wake of the assassination of O'Dwyer.

'I don't care, I don't mind dying. What is the use of waiting till you get old? This is no good. You want to die when you are young. That is good, that is what I am doing.'

After a pause he added:

'I am dying for my country.'

In a statement given on March 13th, 1940 he said:

'I just shot to make protest. I have seen people starving in India under British Imperialism. I done it, the pistol went off three or four times. I am not sorry for protesting. It was my duty to do so. Put some more. Just for the sake of my country to protest. I do not mind my sentence. Ten, twenty, or fifty years, or to be hanged. I done my duty.'

In a letter from Brixton Prison of 30th March, 1940, Udham Singh refers to Bhagat Singh in the following terms:

'I never afraid of dying so soon I will be getting married with execution. I am not sorry as I am a soldier of my country. It is since 10 years when my friend has left me behind and I am sure after my death I will see him as he is waiting for me. It was 23rd and I hope they will hang me on the same date as he was.'

The British courts were able to silence for long the last words of Udham Singh. At last the speech has been released from the British Public Records Office.

Facing the Judge, he exclaimed, 'I say down with British Imperialism. You say India do not have peace. We have only slavery. Generations of so called civilization has brought for us everything filthy and degenerating known to the human race. All you have to do is read your own history. If you have any human decency about you, you should die with shame. The brutality and bloodthirsty way in which the so called intellectuals who call themselves rulers of civilization in the world are of bastard blood...'

MR. JUSTICE ATKINSON: I am not going to listen to a political speech. If you have anything relevant to say about this case say it.

UDHAM SINGH: I have to say this. I wanted to protest.
The accused brandished the sheaf of papers from which he had been reading.

THE JUDGE: Is it in English?

UDHAM SINGH: You can understand what I am reading now.

THE JUDGE: I will understand much more if you give it to me to read.

UDHAM SINGH: I want the jury, I want the whole lot to hear it.

Mr. G.B. McClure (Prosecuting) reminded the Judge that under Section 6 of the Emergency Powers Act he could direct that Udham Singh's speech be not reported or that it could be heard in camera.