description Udham Singh Overview
Udham Singh (1899-1940) was an Indian revolutionary who gained notoriety for the assassination of Michael O'Dwyer in London on March 13, 1940. Singh held O'Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, responsible for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar, where British troops under Brigadier General Reginald Dyer killed hundreds of unarmed Indians. Singh survived the massacre as a young man and spent years traveling before carrying out the assassination at Caxton Hall. Following his trial, he was convicted and hanged at Pentonville Prison on July 31, 1940.
He is commemorated in India as a martyr in the independence struggle.
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Why did Udham Singh assassinate Michael O'Dwyer?
Singh shot O'Dwyer at Caxton Hall in London on March 13, 1940, to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar. As Punjab's former lieutenant governor, O'Dwyer had publicly defended the firing on the unarmed crowd.
Was O'Dwyer the one who ordered the Amritsar massacre?
No — the shooting at Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919, was ordered by Brigadier General Reginald Dyer, who died of natural causes in 1927. Singh targeted O'Dwyer because he was the senior official who upheld Dyer's actions.
What happened to Udham Singh after the shooting?
He was tried in London and hanged at Pentonville Prison on July 31, 1940. His ashes were returned to India in 1974, where he was honored as a national martyr.
How is Udham Singh remembered in India today?
He is celebrated as a freedom fighter, commemorated at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial in Amritsar and by statues across India. His story was dramatized in the 2021 Hindi film Sardar Udham.
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