On 13th April 1999, acting Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered “fire” into a crowd of unarmed Indian civilians in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab killing at least 380 people and injuring over a thousand of them. Paying off for his sins, General O’Dyer was shot dead by Udham Singh.
On his death anniversary today the freedom fighter was charged and hanged for killing general Dyer at Pentonville Prison in London on July 31, 1940. The Punjab chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh tweeted honouring the great fighter for his patriotism and sacrifice. "I pay my rich tributes to brave son of the soil and great revolutionary Sardar Udham Singh Ji on his martyrdom day. The country will always remember his supreme sacrifice’’ tweeted the chief minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar. Born to a farmer as Sher Singh on 26 December 1899, at Sunam in Sangrur. Udham lost his father early in life and along with Mukta Singh, his elder brother, did his schooling at the Central Khalsa Orphanage in Amritsar. He was jailed several times by police officers during the british rule because of his active involvement in the freedom movement. Singh was deeply influenced by courageous leaders like freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. In his tweet Capt. Amarinder Singh also informed about the Udham’s Singh memorial at Surnam in Sangur district of Punjab to be completed within a year.
Even after his death years later Udham Singh continues to inspire young minds and presents an exceptional example of patriotism and courage. In his own words, “what great honour could be bestowed on me than death for the sake of my motherland’’
