Central Legislative Assembly Bomb Case

On April 8, 1929, revolutionary leaders Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw two low-intensity bombs inside the chamber of the Central Legislative Assembly in New Delhi. The event was organized by the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA). The action aimed to protest two repressive bills introduced by the colonial government: the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill. The Public Safety Bill empowered the British administration to deport foreign communist activists and detain political suspects without trial. The Trade Disputes Bill restricted the right of workers to strike and banned sympathetic or general strikes. The primary objective of the HSRA was not to kill or injure anyone, but to “make the deaf hear.” The revolutionaries sought to use the legislative assembly floor and subsequent court proceedings to publicize their socialist ideology and anti-imperialist demands across India.

Execution of the Assembly Action

Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt entered the visitors’ gallery of the Central Legislative Assembly disguised in Western attire.

Key Events During the Incident

• Throwing the Bombs: As Sir George Schuster, the Finance Member, announced the passage of the Trade Disputes Bill, Bhagat Singh threw a non-lethal bomb into an empty space on the assembly floor, followed by a second bomb thrown by Batukeshwar Dutt.
• Leaflets and Slogans: The revolutionaries dropped copies of the official HSRA manifesto from the gallery into the assembly hall. They shouted revolutionary slogans including “Inquilab Zindabad” (Long Live the Revolution) and “Samrajyavad Ka Nash Ho” (Down with Imperialism).
• Voluntary Arrest: Neither Bhagat Singh nor Batukeshwar Dutt attempted to escape. They stood their ground and surrendered calmly to the police to face trial publicly.

The Assembly Pamphlet and HSRA Manifesto

The printed leaflets scattered during the bombing stated the explicit motivation of the HSRA. Drafted by Bhagwati Charan Vohra in consultation with Bhagat Singh, the document cited the execution of French anarchist Auguste Vaillant as an ideological precedent for acting inside a parliament to raise public consciousness.

Core Declarations in the Manifesto

• The pamphlet condemned the colonial government for passing oppressive laws that crushed working-class rights and civil liberties.
• It challenged the legitimacy of the Central Legislative Assembly, labeling it an empty institution serving British imperialist interests.
• It proclaimed that while human life is sacred, force must be used when necessary to end systemic oppression and economic exploitation.

Trial, Statements, and Legal Proceedings

The trial began in May 1929 at the Delhi Sessions Court under Judge P.B. Poole. Prominent lawyer Asaf Ali represented Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt during the proceedings.

Historic Court Statements

During the trial before the Sessions Judge in Delhi, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt delivered a joint statement that articulated their political vision.

• Meaning of Revolution: They clarified that revolution did not mean bloody strife or individual assassination, but the complete transformation of society to end foreign rule and capitalist exploitation.
• Famous Declaration: They stated before the court that “the sword of revolution is sharpened on the whetstone of ideas.”
• Judicial Verdict: On June 12, 1929, the Sessions Court convicted both revolutionaries under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code and the Explosives Act, sentencing them to transportation for life.

Connection to the Lahore Conspiracy Case

Following the arrests in Delhi, colonial police raided an underground HSRA bomb-manufacturing unit in Lahore, along with units in Saharanpur and Agra. Police recovered chemical materials and documents linking Bhagat Singh and his associates to the murder of Assistant Superintendent of Police John P. Saunders in December 1928. Consequently, the British administration transferred Bhagat Singh to Lahore Central Jail to face trial in the Second Lahore Conspiracy Case alongside Sukhdev, Rajguru, and other HSRA members. Batukeshwar Dutt was transported to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands to serve his life sentence.

Key Personalities Associated with the Case

Historical Facts Summary

The low-intensity bombs used in the Assembly were manufactured by Jatin Das (Jatindra Nath Das), who had traveled from Calcutta to train HSRA members in explosive chemistry. The President (Speaker) of the Central Legislative Assembly at the time of the bombing was Vithalbhai Patel, who had previously ruled that the Public Safety Bill could not be debated while the Meerut Conspiracy Case trial was ongoing. After the assembly bombing, Viceroy Lord Irwin enacted both the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill as ordinances by exercising executive decree powers. While imprisoned in Delhi and Lahore jails following the Assembly case, Bhagat Singh and his comrades undertook a historic 63-day hunger strike demanding equal rights and political prisoner status for Indian convicts. Batukeshwar Dutt survived his imprisonment in the Andaman Cellular Jail and Patna Camp Jail, later participating in the Quit India Movement of 1942 before his death in 1965.