Hindus, Muslims & Sikhs Fighting the British
By
Saquib Salim, New Age Islam
27 February
2023
Sanobar
Hussain, Sher Ali, Abdur Rahman Riya, Abdulla and Abdul Aziz were holding a
secret meeting in February 1929 in Peshawar. The Indian freedom struggle, they
believed, needed rejuvenation. With Sanobar as its president, they founded
Anjuman Jamiat Naujawanan–i-Sarhad (Association of frontier youth). The aim was
to revitalize nationalism in Peshawar by bringing Hindus and Muslims together
and engaging in revolutionary activities.
Kissa Khani bazar of Peshawar
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Slice of
History
Abdur
Rahman Riya started a newspaper to reach a larger audience. In September,
Anjuman held a meeting in honour of Jatindra Nath Das, who had sacrificed his
life after a long hunger strike in Lahore Jail. At the meeting attended by
Hindus and Muslims both, Bhagat Singh and his comrades were also hailed. Khan
Abdul Ghaffar Khan urged Muslims to follow the footsteps of Jatindra Nath and
Bhagat Singh. Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari, leader of Majlis-i-Ahrar, asked the
leaders of Anjuman if their organisation had aims similar to Naujawan Bharat
Sabha of Punjab. Sabha had Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries as its
members. Bukhari suggested that the organisation should be rechristened as
Naujawan Bharat Sabha as a wing of Punjab-based organisation.
Abdur
Rahman Riya travelled to Lahore and received the affiliation from Naujawan
Party. By the start of 1930, the newspaper Risala-i-Naujawan Sarhad was
started. The organisation was now known as Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Peshawar with
Abdur Rahman Riya, Faqir Chand, Abdul Hai, Achraj Ram, Abdul Ghaffar, Saeed,
Chunni Lal, Allah Bakhsh, Sohan Lal, and Amir Singh as executive members. The
organisation adopted a red flag and hammer sickle emblem.
On 26
January 1930, the nationalists were celebrating Independence Day of India, as
decided at the Congress Session. In a post-partition Peshawar, it is impossible
to imagine that Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims marched in unison under the flags of
different organisations demanding freedom for India. The name of Pakistan
wasn’t even invented then.
The
procession of Independence Day was led by a Congress group with a Congress
Tricolour Flag. It had Lala Badshah, Ali Gul Khan, Qasim Jan, Abdul Jalil, Lala
Radha Kishan, Vakil, Abdur Rahman Nadwi, Dr. Jawahir Singh, Ghulam Rabbani
Sethi, Allah Bakhsh, Rahim Bakhsh, Muhammad Usman, Haji Karam Ilahi, Milap
Singh, Amar Singh, and several others.
Behind
Congress was the Naujawan Bharat Sabha group with Red Flags raising the slogans
of the revolution. Abdur Rahman Riya, Abdul Aziz, Roshan Lal, Sanobar Hussain,
Acharaj Ram, Chaman Lal, Abdul Hai, Faqir Chand, Kishan Chand, Hari Ram, Amar
Singh, and others led this group with posters of Bhagat Singh, Ashfaqullah
Khan, B. K. Dutt and others.
The third
group was of Khudai Khidmatgars carrying a White Flag led by Sarfaraz,
Naqibullah, and Purdil.
The group
of Khalsa Naujawan Jatha provided a great spectacle of a united India.
Supposedly a Sikh organisation led by Hardit Singh had several Muslims like
Yaqub raising the slogans of the revolution.
The
activities picked up the pace. Sabha had four newspapers by April to
disseminate nationalist propaganda. Risala–i-Naujawan Sarhad, Naujawan Sarhad,
Naujawan Sarfarosh, and Piam-i-Jang were being widely read and caused panic
among British officials. Increased revolutionary activities were blamed on the
organisation.
The British
intelligence blamed the activities of Sabha behind the increased determination
among locals to fight the colonial rulers which eventually led to Qissa Khwani
Bazaar massacre where hundreds of Indians were shot dead by the British
soldiers. It was also believed that the propaganda of Sabha was one of the
reasons behind Ram Chandra Garhwali’s decision to disobey the British command
to fire upon the Indians. It was a rare event where Indian soldiers of the
British did not fire upon Indians and preferred court martial.
No wonder
on 3 May 1930 Naujawan Bharat Sabha was banned by the British and the unity of
Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims would never remain the same.
URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/hindus-muslims-sikhs-british/d/129202
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