Hindustan Socialist Republican Association [HSRA]- Objectives, Members of HSRA
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: November 14th, 2023
Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) was previously known as Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) and Hindustan Republican Army. It was established and led by Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Sachindra Nath Bakshi, Sachindranath Sanyal, and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee. Its constitution in writing and public manifesto, which was called ‘The Revolutionary’, was produced as proof in the Kakori conspiracy trial in 1924.
The Kakori conspiracy was one of the major activities of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. The article provides complete knowledge of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association such as its activities, criticisms, and other details of the Indian revolutionary organization. The aspirants preparing for the IAS exam must be completely aware of the details of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association [HSRA] as it is an essential topic of the UPSC syllabus.
Table of content
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1.
What Was HSRA?
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2.
Why Was Hindustan Socialist Republican Association Formed?
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3.
Activities of HSRA
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4.
Criticism of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
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5.
HSRA Founder
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6.
HSRA Members
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7.
Objectives of Hindustan Republican Association
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8.
Final Chapter – The Fall of HSRA
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9.
HSRA For UPSC Exam
What Was HSRA?
The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association initiated a revolutionary movement against British rule. It is also known as the Hindustan Republican Association. It was led by Ram Prasad Bismil Ashfaqulla Khan, Sachindranath Sanyal, Sachindra Nath Bakshi, and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee. Kakori conspiracy was the main activity led by the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. The HSRA was criticized as well for its acts. Mahatma Gandhi also criticised the violent acts associated with the revolutionary movement. After the demise of Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh managed the HSRA. The primary and major objective of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association was to establish an independent state.
Why Was Hindustan Socialist Republican Association Formed?
The Non-cooperation movement in 1919 resulted in a large-scale mobilization of the Indian populace against British rule. Although the non-cooperation movement was intended to be a nonviolent opposition movement, it quickly turned violent.
- Following the Chauri Chaura tragedy, Mahatma Gandhi suspended the movement to stop the spread of violence.
- The suspension of the Non-cooperation movement disillusioned some nationalists who believed that the suspension was unjustified and premature.
- The gap in the political landscape caused by the suspension resulted in the emergence of revolutionary movements among the most radical of those who wanted to overthrow British rule.
- The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association [HSRA] was one of the leading factions that came into existence following the suspension of the Non-cooperation movement.
Activities of HSRA
There were numerous initial attempts to disrupt the colonial policies and obtain money for the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, including the robbery and destruction of the homes of village officials in Dwarikapur as well as Bichpuri in the years 1922-23.
- The Kakori conspiracy was the most notable of the initial HRA initiatives. The Kakori incident occurred on August 9th, 1925, when HRA members robbed government funds from a train about 10 miles (16 kilometres) away from Lucknow and killed a person during the robbery.
- The most prominent HRA [Hindustan Republican Association] members were detained and prosecuted for their part in the incident and others before it.
- According to the verdict, four senior leaders of the HRA – Ashfaqullah Khan, Ram Prasad Bismil, Roshan Singh, and Rajendra Lahiri were executed in 1926, and another 16 were jailed for long periods.
Criticism of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
The methods of the association were different from Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance. Gandhi heavily condemned the revolutionary movement and its methods. In response to Lord Irwin’s train attack, Gandhi published a sharp critique of the HSRA named “The Cult of the Bomb” (Young India January 2nd, 1929).
- According to Gandhi, the HSRA’s violent fight was not without danger. The violence triggered more suffering and reprisals.
- The HSRA responded to the criticism by releasing its statement “The Philosophy of the Bomb”.
HSRA Founder
The Hindustan Socialist Republican Association was founded by Ram Prasad Bismil. The major objective was to establish an independent state in India. Their ideology and philosophy considered that the British could be overthrown by employing non-violent methods. They led the Kakori conspiracy incident to rob the funds of the Government. Chandra Shekhar Azad was a commander-in-chief. After the demise of the main leaders Bhagat Singh and Chandra Shekhar Azad, the HSRA was regulated by Udham Singh from London. After he was hanged, the Hindustan Socialist Revolutionary Association was disbanded.
HSRA Members
The main members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association were Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Sachindra Nath Bakshi, Sachindranath Sanyal, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee, Chandra Shekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh. These members led the establishment of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. The party’s manifesto was encoded by Sanyal.
Objectives of Hindustan Republican Association
The main objective of the members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association was to establish an independent state. They wanted to build the “Federated Republic of the United States of India”. The members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association killed officials and looted political officials to gain funds.
Final Chapter – The Fall of HSRA
In the year 1930, all of the leaders of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association were either killed or living in prison. Kailash Pati was arrested in October 1929 and became an appointee (witness to the prosecutor). On February 27th, 1930, Chandrasekhar Azad shot himself in the head in an encounter with the police in the famous case at Alfred Park.
- Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru were executed on March 23rd, 1930. After Azad’s death, it was impossible to find a central figure to bring the revolutionaries together, and regional divisions grew.
- The group split into several regional factions, and they conducted attacks and bombings on British government officials across India in the absence of any coordination central.
- In December 1930, the Hindustan Social Republic Association [HSRA] launched a final attempt to revive the group at a gathering in Meerut. The attempt was unsuccessful and resulted in the arrests of Yashpal and Daryao Singh, both in 1931.
- The arrests effectively put an end to the HSRA as a united organization, although the various regional factions continued fighting for independence until 1935.
HSRA For UPSC Exam
The aspirants preparing for the IAS exam must be wholly cognizant of all the essential topics to attain good grades in the upcoming exam. The complete details of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, the criticism, and the activities form an integral part of the UPSC syllabus.
The candidates can practice the UPSC previous year papers to get in touch with the complete details of the types of questions asked in the exam. Complete cognizance will enable the candidates to bring forth a roadmap for effective preparation. It will also assist the candidates in preparing well for the exam.
