Baba
Sohan Singh Bhakna (1870–21 December 1968) was as Indian revolutionary,
the founding president of the Ghadar Party, and a leading member of the
party involved in the Ghadar Conspiracy of 1915. Tried at the Lahore
Conspiracy trial, Sohan Singh served
sixteen years of a life sentence for his part in the conspiracy before
he was released in 1930. He later worked closely with the Indian labour
movement, devoting considerable time to the Kisan Sabha and the
Communist Party of India.In 1921, Sohan Singh was transferred to
Coimbatore jail and then to Yervada. Here however, Singh embarked on a
hunger strike in protest against Sikh prisoners not being allowed to
wear turbans and their Kacchera, amongst their religious obligations. In
1927, he was shifted to the Central Jail at Lahore, where he again went
on hunger strike in June 1928 to protest against the segregation of the
so-called low-caste Mazhabi Sikhs from other 'high-caste' Sikhs during
meals. In 1929, while still interned, he went on a hunger strike in
support of Bhagat Singh. He ultimately served sixteen years before he
was released early in July 1930.
After his release, he continued working in the nationalist movement and labour politics. His works were identified closely with the works of the Communist party of India, devoting most of his time to organizing the Kisan Sabhas. He also made the release of interned Ghadarites a key part of his political work.
He was interned a second time during World War II, when he was jailed at the Deoli Camp in what is today Rajasthan. He remained incarcerated for nearly three years. After Independence he veered decisively towards the Communist Party of India. He was arrested on 31 March 1948, but released on 8 May 1948. However, he was seized again, but jail-going ended for him finally at the intervention of Independent India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Bent with age and ravaged by pneumonia, Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna died, at Amritsar, on 21 December 1968.
After his release, he continued working in the nationalist movement and labour politics. His works were identified closely with the works of the Communist party of India, devoting most of his time to organizing the Kisan Sabhas. He also made the release of interned Ghadarites a key part of his political work.
He was interned a second time during World War II, when he was jailed at the Deoli Camp in what is today Rajasthan. He remained incarcerated for nearly three years. After Independence he veered decisively towards the Communist Party of India. He was arrested on 31 March 1948, but released on 8 May 1948. However, he was seized again, but jail-going ended for him finally at the intervention of Independent India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Bent with age and ravaged by pneumonia, Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna died, at Amritsar, on 21 December 1968.
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