Digital District Repository Detail

Hari Krishan was born in 1912 in the small village of Ghalla Dher in Mardan district, located in the North-Western Frontier Province (Undivided India). His father, Gurdas Mal, was a devoted patriot who actively supported India’s freedom struggle.

Hari later moved to Lahore with his cousin, Chaman Lal Kapoor, who had secret ties with revolutionaries in Punjab. At the time, Bhagat Singh and his comrades had been sentenced to death and were awaiting execution. Through his cousin, Hari Krishan came in contact with prominent figures such as Durgadas Khanna, Ranbir Singh of Daily Milap and Virendra of Daily Pratap.

On 22 December 1930, a plan was devised to assassinate Geoffrey Montgomery, the Governor of Punjab, during a convocation ceremony at the Punjab University in Lahore. Owing to his exceptional pistol-shooting skills, Hari was chosen for the task. He entered the venue using a borrowed entry pass and concealed his pistol inside a hollowed-out book to evade detection.

As Dr. Radhakrishnan was seated beside the Governor, Hari delayed action. He waited until Montgomery was leaving the stage before taking the shot. Although he hit Montgomery’s arm, the shot was not fatal. In the chaos, Sub-Inspector Chanan Singh was killed, while another officer and an English woman were injured. Hari Krishan refused to flee and was arrested. In prison, he went on a hunger strike and was eventually allowed a brief meeting with Bhagat Singh.

Hari Krishan was hanged on 9 June 1931.

⁣

Details are mentioned in the book “Eminent Freedom Fighters of Punjab” on page no. 113 & 114 – written by Fauja Singh.

Source: Soumen Pal, Contributor for CCRT.