Sardar Bhagat Singh ji : Hunger Strike

5. Hunger Strike

Bhagat Singh was taken to the notorious Mianwali Jail in the undivided Punjab, to which he was transferred immediately after his conviction in the Assembly-Bomb case. Later, he was shifted to the Lahore Central Jail for his trial in Saunders Murder case, which later came to be known as the Lahore Conspiracy Case. In Mianwali Jail Bhagat Singh soon came into contact with political prisoners, who were also undergoing life imprisonment in connection with their participation in the Ghadr" movement of 1914-15, Martial Law Agitation and Babbar Akali Movement. From them, he learnt and saw for himself the atrocities committed on the political prisoners. While in jail, on the 15th June, 1929 Bhagat Singh and other prisoners launched a hunger strike advocating for the rights of prisoners and undertrials. The reasons for the strike was that British murderers and thieves were treated better than Indian political prisoners, who, by law, were meant to be given better rights. Their aims in their strike was to ensure a decent standard of food for political prisoners, the availability of books and a daily newspaper, as well as better clothing and the supply of toilet necessities and other hygienic necessities. To acquaint the authorities with their demands and to get their redress, Bhagat Singh sent the following application on, dated 27th June, 1929, to the Inspector-General, Punjab Jails, Lahore, Through the Superintendent, Mianwali District Jail.

"I have been sentenced to transportation for life, in the connection with the Assembly-Bomb Case, and am obviously a political prisoner. we were given a special diet in the Delhi Jail, but since my arrival here I am being treated as an ordinary criminal. Therefore I have gone on hunger strike since the morning of 15th June 1929. In these two or three days my weight has decreased by 6 lbs compared with what it was in Delhi Jail".

He also demanded that political prisoners should not be forced to do any labour or undignified work. During this hunger strike that lasted 63 days and ended with the British succumbing to his wishes, he gained much popularity among the common Indians. Before the strike his popularity was limited mainly to the Punjab region.





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				5. Hunger Strike Bhagat Singh was taken to the notorious Mianwali Jail in the undivided Punjab, to which he was transferred immediately after his conviction in the Assembly-Bomb case. Later, he was shifted to the Lahore Central Jail for his trial in Saunders Murder case, which later came to be known as the Lahore Conspiracy Case. In Mianwali Jail Bhagat Singh soon came into contact with political prisoners, who were also undergoing life imprisonment in connection with their participation in the Ghadr" movement of 1914-15, Martial Law Agitation and Babbar Akali Movement. From them, he learnt and saw for himself the atrocities committed on the political prisoners. While in jail, on the 15th June, 1929 Bhagat Singh and other prisoners launched a hunger strike advocating for the rights of prisoners and undertrials. The reasons for the strike was that British murderers and thieves were treated better than Indian political prisoners, who, by law, were meant to be given better rights. Their aims in their strike was to ensure a decent standard of food for political prisoners, the availability of books and a daily newspaper, as well as better clothing and the supply of toilet necessities and other hygienic necessities. To acquaint the authorities with their demands and to get their redress, Bhagat Singh sent the following application on, dated 27th June, 1929, to the Inspector-General, Punjab Jails, Lahore, Through the Superintendent, Mianwali District Jail. "I have been sentenced to transportation for life, in the connection with the Assembly-Bomb Case, and am obviously a political prisoner. we were given a special diet in the Delhi Jail, but since my arrival here I am being treated as an ordinary criminal. Therefore I have gone on hunger strike since the morning of 15th June 1929. In these two or three days my weight has decreased by 6 lbs compared with what it was in Delhi Jail". He also demanded that political prisoners should not be forced to do any labour or undignified work. During this hunger strike that lasted 63 days and ended with the British succumbing to his wishes, he gained much popularity among the common Indians. Before the strike his popularity was limited mainly to the Punjab region.

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