Shaheed Shivaram Hari Rajguru – An Indian Revolutionary

Shivaram Hari Rajguru was an Indian revolutionary. He was known for his involvement in the assassination of a British Raj police officer J.P. Saunders. 

On 23 March 1931, he was hanged along with Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev Thapar, by the British government.

Early Life of Shivaram Rajguru

Rajguru was born on 24 August 1908 to Parvati Devi and Harinarain Rajguru. He was born at Khed, a village located at the bank of river Bheema near Pune. 

His father died when Rajguru was only six years old. He received his primary education at Khed and later studied in New English High School in Poona.

Revolutionary Activities By Shivaram Rajguru

Rajguru joined the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army, an active force working against the British. At the party, he was known by the pseudonym of Raghunath. 

Rajguru became a partner of Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev and took part in the assassination of J.P. Saunders, a British police officer, at Lahore on 17 December 1928. 

The assassination was to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai. Lala Lajpat Rai was died a fortnight after being hit by police while on a march protesting the Simon Commission.

All the three men- Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev – with other 21 co-conspirators were tried and found guilty. During the court proceedings Rajguru, to annoy the judge, deliberately replied in Sanskrit. When the confused British judge used to shout at him, he used to have a good laugh and nudge Bhagat to translate. 

Execution

Rajguru along with Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev were convicted and charged with capital punishment. There hanging was scheduled for 24 March. 

But, in the fear of protest by civilians, they hanged a day earlier on 23 March 1931. They were cremated at Husainiwala at the banks of the Sutlej river in the Ferozepur, Punjab. Rajguru was only 22 when he was hanged.

The New York Times reported:

A reign of terror in the city of Cawnpore in the United Provinces and an attack on Mahatma Gandhi by a youth outside Karachi were among the answers of the Indian extremists today to the hanging of Bhagat Singh and two fellow-assassins.

Legacy and memorials in the honor of Shivaram Hari Rajguru

National Martyrs Memorial

National Memorial is located at Hussainiwala, in Ferozepur, Punjab, India. After the execution in Lahore jail, the bodies of Shivaram Hari Rajguru, Bhagat Singh, and Sukhdev Thapar were brought here in secrecy and they were unceremonially cremated here by authorities. 

Every year on 23 March, martyrs day (Shaheed Diwas) is observed remembering three revolutionaries. Tributes and homage are paid at the memorial.

Rajgurunagar

His birthplace of Khed was renamed Rajgurunagar in his honor. Rajgurunagar is a census town in Khed tehsil of Pune district in the state of Maharashtra.

Rajguru Wada

Rajguru Wada is the ancestral house where Rajguru was born. Spread over 2,788 sq m of land, it is located on the banks of Bhima river on Pune-Nashik Road. 

It is maintained as a memorial to Shivaram Hari Rajguru. A local organization, the Hutatma Rajguru Smarak Samiti (HRSS), hoists the national flag here on Republic Day since 2004.

College

Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women is located in Vasundhara Enclave, Delhi, and is a constituent college of Delhi University.