Martyrs' Day 2023: History behind the 7 Martyrs' Days celebrated in India

Martyrsrsquo Day also known as Shaheed Diwas is observed in India to remember and pay respect to the martyrs who laid down their lives in different tragedies including the rage of British reign amid Indias freedom struggleThere are seven Martyrsrsquo Days celebrated in India The most popular among them is the one on January 30 the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi Herersquos the full list of the seven Martyrsrsquo DayJanuary 30Mahatma Gandhi has been a major face in Indiarsquos freedom struggle Gandhi was associated with a major profreedom movement that shook India during the British reign Amid this Gandhi always had political opponents Gandhi was both loved and criticized but his role in Indiarsquos freedom movement always made it to the massesrsquo approval and earned respectNathuram Godse ndash a Hindu nationalist from Maharashtra ndash shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point blank range at a multifaith prayer meeting in Birla House in New Delhi on 30 January 1948 Gandhi was killedGandhirsquos death anniversary is observed as Martyrrsquos Day in IndiaMarch 23Bhagat Singh Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar were hanged to death in Lahore Prison on March 23 1930 by the BritishAfter throwing smoke bombs and political handouts at the Central Legislative Assembly on April 8 1929 while yelling the slogan Inquilab Zindabad Bhagat Singh Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar were charged with murder by the British Gandhis nonviolence tactics were very different from their approach for revolution However they were always appreciated for their roles in the freedom struggleOn March 23 Martyrs Day is observed to honour their supreme sacrificeMay 19In the Bengalidominated Barak Valley region of Assam Bhasha Shahid Diwas also known as Language Martyrs Day is observed in honour of the incident that took place on May 19 1961 Eleven young people including one woman lost their life in the tragedy when the state police opened fire at the Silchar railway station They sacrificed their lives in protesting against the imposition of the Assamese languageAlso read Martyrs Day 2023 History and significance of Shaheed DiwasJuly 13In honour of the 22 protesters who were killed by royal soldiers on July 13 1931 while opposing Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir observes July 13 as Kashmir Martyrs DayNovember 17On the anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rais demise Odisha commemorates November 17 as Shaheed Diwas or Martyrs Day Lala Lajpat Rai played a significant role in attaining Indias freedomWhen the Simon Commission visited Lahore in 1928 Rai organised a nonviolent demonstration in its opposition Lala Lajpat Rai suffered severe injuries after the police responded with a fatal lathi charge He eventually passed away from a heart attack on November 17 1928November 19Rami Lakshmibais birthday November 19 is observed as Martyrs Day in Jhansi The glorious queen of Jhansi a princely state held by the Maratha gave her life in the 1857 uprising The Rebellion of 1857 Memorial Day commemorates the contributions of all those who died during the uprisingNovember 24The Sikh community commemorates November 24 as Martyrs Day because it marks the passing of the ninth Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur Having rejected the forceful conversion of nonMuslims Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in front of the public in 1675 by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb