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Thenewsdose.com
New Delhi/Chandigarh,July 21,UPDATED:8.20PM
On the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu made a fervent appeal to the Union government to posthumously confer the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, on three legendary martyrs of India’s freedom struggle — Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Udham Singh, and Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra.
Calling the recognition “long overdue,” Sandhu said it was “deeply painful and ironic” that even 77 years after independence, these icons of India’s revolutionary movement had not been accorded the country’s top civilian award.“Their sacrifice and ideology continue to inspire generations of Indians, particularly the youth,” Sandhu said, adding that honouring them would be a true tribute to their martyrdom and a step towards restoring historical justice.
‘Reflects the nation’s conscience’
The Punjab-based parliamentarian emphasized that the demand was not just regional, but a reflection of the collective conscience of the entire nation. “The people of Punjab have long cherished the memory of these brave sons, but their heroism belongs to all of India. Their names are etched in the soul of our freedom movement,” he said.
Describing Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh, and Madan Lal Dhingra as symbols of India’s unyielding resistance to colonial rule, Sandhu urged the Centre to act in line with public sentiment. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, real national heroes — regardless of caste, creed, religion, or socio-economic background — are being given their due place in history. I request the government to uphold this spirit by honouring these martyrs with the Bharat Ratna.”
Recalling their supreme sacrifices
The MP also recounted the historic contributions of each of the three revolutionaries:
Shaheed Bhagat Singh, who was executed at the age of 23, became an enduring symbol of fearless defiance against British rule. His writings, courtroom speeches, and actions continue to shape the ideological foundations of modern India.Shaheed Udham Singh famously avenged the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre by assassinating General Michael O’Dwyer in London in 1940, an act that reverberated across the British Empire.Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra, one of the earliest Indian revolutionaries abroad, made headlines when he assassinated Curzon Wyllie in 1909 in London — a daring act that galvanized the Indian independence movement and stunned the colonial authorities. Sandhu’s appeal adds to the growing chorus of voices across political lines and civil society that have, in recent years, demanded national recognition for India’s revolutionary freedom fighters, many of whom remain underrepresented in official honours and state narratives.
