Question

Kakori Conspiracy, also called Kakori Conspiracy Case or Kakori Train Robbery, armed
robbery on August 9, 1925, of a train in what is now central Uttar Pradesh state, northcentral
India, and the subsequent court trial instituted by the government of British India
against more than two dozen men accused of involvement, directly or otherwise, in the crime.
The robbery took place at the town of Kakori, about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Lucknow,
the train’s final destination. On board the train was money that had been collected from
various railway stations enroute and that was to be deposited at Lucknow. In a well-planned
operation, Ramprasad Bismil led a band of 10 revolutionary activists who stopped the train,
subdued the train’s guard and passengers, and forced open the safe in the guard’s quarters
before fleeing with the cash found within it. The raiders were members of the newly
established Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), a militant organization dedicated to
freeing India from British rule through revolution, including armed rebellion. To fund their
activities, the HRA carried out raids such as the train robbery.
Within a month of the attack, more than two dozen HRA members had been arrested
for conspiracy and for having perpetrated the act. More arrests followed, and in all, some 40
people were rounded up. Eventually, 29 individuals were put on trial before the special
magistrate at Lucknow. Of those, three—including Chandrasekhar Azad, a leader of the HRA—
remained at large, and two others became witnesses for the prosecution in return for lighter
sentences. The trial continued for nearly 18 months, with many leading nationalist lawyers
providing defense counsel for the accused.
The final judgments were pronounced on April 6, 1927. Three (later four) men were sentenced
to death, and one was given life imprisonment. Most of the remaining defendants were given
prison sentences of up to 14 years, although two were acquitted, and two more were
pardoned. Azad remained unapprehended and was killed in an encounter with police in
February 1931. The severity of the sentences—particularly of capital punishment—provoked
considerable outcry among the general Indian populace. Several attempts were made to save
the four who were sentenced to die, including passage of a motion in the legislative council of
the United Provinces (the colonial precursor to Uttar Pradesh) and a petition to the British
viceroy, but they were rejected. The four men were executed in December 1927.

Answer the following questions:
Q1. List some famous Revolutionary leaders involved in Kakori Conspiracy case.
Q2. Why do you think the leaders failed in this attempt ?

Answer 1

Answer:

Ans 1 : The robbery plan was executed by Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sachindra Bakshi, Keshab Chakravarty, Manmathnath Gupta, Mukundi Lal (Mukundi Lal Gupta), Banwari Lal , Kundan Lal, and Pranawesh Mukherjee .

Ans 2 : One passenger, Ahmed Ali was killed in an unintentional discharge, but this made it a manslaughter case. Following the incident, the British administration started an intense manhunt and arrested several of the revolutionaries who were members or part of the HRA. Their leader, Ram Prasad Bismil, was arrested at Saharanpur on 26 September 1925, and his lieutenant, Ashfaqullah Khan, was arrested ten months later at Delhi.

Explanation: