Shivaram Rajguru was a great Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary who sacrificed his life

for the independence of his motherland, India. He played a pivotal role in the India`s struggle for
Independence. At the age of 23 years he became a martyr for his country. Since his childhood the
thought of fighting against the atrocities of the British was instilled within him. He is mostly
associated with the two great revolutionaries, Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev.
Early life of Shiv Ram Hari Rajguru
Shiv Ram Hari Rajguru was born in 1906 into an average middle class Hindu Brahmin family at
Khed in Pune district, India. He belonged to the Deshastha Brahmin community. He was also
known by the name Raghunath. At a very early age Jai Rajguru came to Varanasi where he learnt
Sanskrit Language and read the Hindu religious scriptures. He spent most of his time in Kashi
reading at the Lokmanya Tilak Library. He also attended the speeches and debates that were
organised by the Maharashtra Vidya Mandal. He had a good memory and learnt by heart the
`Laghu Siddhant Kaumudi`. He was associated with a number of physical exercise associations,
as he was fond of physical exercises. He was associated with the gymnasium run by the Bharat
Seva Mandal. He was a great admirer of Shivaji and his guerilla tactics. He also acquired his
degree in gymnastics (VyayamVisharad) from the Shri Hanuman Vyayam Shala in Amravati and
was also trained under Seva Dal with Dr, Hardikar.
During his learning process at Varanasi, he came in contact with revolutionaries. He joined the
movement and became an active member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army
(H.S.R.A). In the party he was known under the nom de plume of Raghunath. Jai Rajguru had
fearless spirit and indomitable courage. Within the party he was a close associate of Chandra
Shekhar Azad, Sardar Bhagat Singh and Jatin Das. He was charged with activity in Uttar Pradesh
and Punjab, Kanpur, Agra and Lahore as his headquarters. Rajguru was a good shooter and was
regarded as the gunman of the party.
Later Life of Shiv Ram Hari Rajguru
Jai Rajguru took part in various activities of the revolutionary movement, the most important
being of a British police officer, J.P. Saunders` murder at Lahore. On 30th October 1928 Lala
Lajpat Rai led the protest in a silent non violent march against the Simon Commission, which
was created by the British government under Sir John Simon to report on the current political
situation in India. The police responded with violence and Lala Lajpat Rai severely beaten by the
police chief. He died on 17 November 1928.
The revolutionaries planned to avenge Lalaji`s death by killing the Police Superintendent, Scott
and the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Saunders who were responsible for the lathi charge
leading to the death of Lalaji. Chandra Shekhar Azad, Shiv Ram Rajguru, Bhagat Singh and Jai
Gopal were deputed for the work. They were about to kill the police chief. On 17 December

1928, while Saunders, the deputy superintendent of police came out of his office and started his
motor- cycle. In a case of mistaken identity Jai Rajguru shot him dead in front of the police
headquarters at Lahore. Azad shot dead Channan Singh, a Head Constable, who wanted to chase
the three revolutionaries. All of them escaped through the D.A.V. College compound: The same
night posters of the HSRA declaring, "Saunders is dead. Lalaji is avenged" were put up
throughout the city of Lahore. On 20 December, Jai Rajguru left Lahore disguised as Bhagat
Singh`s servant, who travelled in a first class compartment with the wife and the young son of
the revolutionary Bhagawati Charan. He left Bhagat Singh at Lucknow and went underground in
Nagpur. He met Dr. K. B. Hedgewar and was hiding in one of the RSS worker`s house.
However, after some days he went to Pune.
Later Bhagat Singh was arrested in the Assembly Bomb Case and several other revolutionaries
were arrested with the help of approvers (Jai Gopal, Phanindra Nath and Hansraj Vohra). Rajguru
was arrested while he was in Pune on 30 September 1929. Police recovered a revolver with
fourteen cartridges from a box where he was sleeping. The Government started a case against
sixteen persons (including Rajguru), known as the Lahore Conspiracy Case. Judgment was
delivered on 7 October 1930, Sardar Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Jai Rajguru were sentenced to
death and the other accused were awarded various terms of imprisonment. The revolutionaries
started a fast in the prison demanding that all revolutionaries be treated as political prisoners.
Meetings, processions and representations were made for commutation of their death sentence.
Mahatma Gandhi and the leaders of the Indian National Congress attempted to save their lives,
but they failed. An appeal to the Privy Council was also rejected. Jai Rajguru along with his two
comrades was hanged in the Lahore jail in the evening of 23 March 1931 and their bodies were
burnt under police supervision. At the time of his martyrdom, Rajguru was hardly twenty- three
years of age.
A national disaster and national mourning was observed throughout the country with the
execution of the young revolutionaries. The A.I.C.C session at Karachi (1931) met under gloom
and passed a resolution placing on record its admiration of the bravery and sacrifice of the late
Sardar Bhagat Singh and his comrades Sukhdev and Rajguru and mourning with the bereaved
families the loss of these lives.