Lala Lajpat Rai “Balidan Diwas”: Remembering Indian Nationalist leader on his 91st death Anniversary

Every year, November 17, is celebrated as Balidan Diwas in
India. On this day in 1928, Indian freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai attained
martyrdom almost 15 days after getting injured in lathicharge by police during
a protest against the Simon Commission. November 17, 2019, marks 91st death
anniversary of the country’s one of the greatest freedom fighters. Lala Lajpat
Rai was also known as Punjab Kesari. Rai played a pivotal role in the India
freedom struggle. Lala Lajpat Rai had a political coalition with Bipin Chandra
Pal and Bal Gangadhar Tilak and used to be often referred to as
“Lal-Bal-Pal”.

Lala Lajpat Rai was born on January 28 in 1865 in a Hindu
Aggarwal family in Dhudike in Punjab. In 1880, Lajpat Rai joined Government
College at Lahore to study Law. While studying in the college, he came in
contact with patriots and future freedom fighters, such as Lala Hans Raj and
Pandit Guru Dutt. He was also influenced by the Hindu reformist movement of
Swami Dayanand Saraswati. Bal Gangadhar Tilak 99th Death Anniversary: Facts to
Know About ‘Swaraj’ Leader Who Awakened the Spirit For Complete Freedom.

In 1886, Rai joined the Indian National Congress. Lala
Lajpat Rai was deported to Mandalay, Myanmar, without trial in May 1907. Lala
Lajpat Rai was in the US during World War I. He again went to the United States
in 1917 where he founded the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York. He
stayed in the United States from 1917 to 1920. He also visited Britain in 1914.

Lajpat Rai was a heavyweight veteran leader of the Indian
freedom movement. Young revolutions like such as Chandrasekhar Azad and Bhagat
Singh were inspired by him. He founded many organisations including Arya
Gazette are Lahore, Hisar congress, Hisar Arya Samaj, Hisar Bar Council, national
DAV managing Committee. In 1927, Lajpat Rai established a trust in her mother’s
memory to build and run a tuberculosis hospital for women. The hospital named
as the Gulab Devi Chest Hospital on July 17, 1934. Now the Gulab Devi Memorial
hospital is one of the biggest hospitals of present Pakistan. Shivaram Rajguru
111th Birth Anniversary: Here Are Some Interesting Facts About India’s Freedom
Fighter.

He was injured while protesting against the Simon
Commission. He could not recover from the injuries which he sustained during
the lathicharge by the police and died on November 17, 1928. Doctors were of
the opinion that British police officer James Scott’s blow was the main cause
of his death. Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries planned
to kill Scoot to avenge Lala Lajpat Rai’s death, but they killed John P
Saunders, in a case of mistaken identity.