100 Years of the Kakori Train Action

Why in News?

The Kakori Train Action, which occurred in August 1925 near Kakori village, close to Lucknow, marks a defining episode in India’s revolutionary freedom movement.

What Was the Kakori Train Action?

About:
On 9th August 1925, a group of Indian revolutionaries intercepted the Number 8 Down Train traveling from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow, aiming to seize British government funds to finance their revolutionary activities for India’s independence.

Background:
Following the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919) and the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement (1922), several young nationalists lost faith in non-violent methods.
They founded the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) in 1924 with the objective of securing funds through revolutionary means to challenge British authority.

Key Revolutionaries Involved:
The operation was led by Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, Keshav Chakraborty, Mukundi Lal, Banwari Lal, and Chandrashekhar Azad, all members of the HRA.

British Response:
The British government reacted swiftly with a large-scale crackdown.

• 17 revolutionaries were imprisoned, 4 were transported for life, and 4—Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, and Roshan Singh—were executed.

• Chandrashekhar Azad evaded arrest and continued the revolutionary movement underground.
  Though the action was a setback, it inspired a new wave of revolutionary zeal across India.

Hindustan Republican Association (HRA)

Foundation & Ideology:

• The HRA was formed in October 1924 in Kanpur by Ram Prasad Bismil, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee, and Sachindra Nath Sanyal.

• The organization sought to overthrow British rule and establish a federal republic — “The United States of India” — through organized armed revolution.

• Its manifesto, Krantikari (Revolutionary), published on 1st January 1925, declared that the revolutionaries were not terrorists but patriots who believed violence was a necessary retaliation against colonial oppression.

Transformation into HSRA:

• In 1928, under Chandrashekhar Azad’s leadership, the HRA was reorganized as the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).

• Key members included Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Bhagwati Charan Vohra, Bejoy Kumar Sinha, Shiv Verma, and Jaidev Kapur.

• The HSRA adopted socialism and collective leadership as its guiding principles.

• Major actions included:

  • Protests against the Simon Commission (1927),

  • Assassination of J.P. Saunders (1928),

  • and the Viceroy Irwin train bombing (1929).
    By the early 1930s, intense British repression led to the fragmentation of the HSRA.

Significance

The Kakori Train Action symbolized a turning point in India’s freedom struggle — a shift from moral persuasion to revolutionary nationalism.
The HRA and HSRA linked the fight for independence with socialist ideals, presenting a youth-driven alternative to non-violent resistance and laying the ideological foundation for India’s later revolutionary movements.