The Historic Lahore Murder - March 19, 1940

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March 19, 1940, the day of the Khaksar massacre in Lahore, was among the most momentous and horrendous days in the history of British India’s freedom movement. On this tragic day, 3131 unwavering and indomitable Khaksars marched in protest in the streets of Lahore against the ban on their legitimate activities. It was a thrilling sight when the robust Khaksars, standing tall in their spotless, starched khaki uniforms with sparkling spades on their shoulders, headed in formation towards their final destination,

Badshahi Mosque, to offer prayers. By defying the ban, these followers of Allama Mashriqi had challenged the imperialist power of the time, the British Empire.

 

The British Senior Superintendent of Police, D. Gainsford2, assisted by Beaty3 (D.S.P.), arrived at the venue along with his squad and ordered to stop the march past. The Khaksars took no notice of his command and continued marching. Gainsford became furious and “slapped Inayat Shah,”4 a Khaksar leader. Given such attitude of the British officer, the situation was bound to deteriorate and eventually resulted in a serious clash between the police and the Khaksars. Gainsford ordered his men to open fire; hundreds of rounds of ammunition were indiscriminately and ruthlessly unloaded on the innocent and peaceful protesters. It was a battle of guns, rifles, and revolvers versus spades.

 

The barrage of bullets pierced Khaksar bodies; however the falling Khaksars embraced death without fear and with a sense of pride, which prevailed on their faces. They knew their blood had not been wasted and had set the stage for freedom. Their dignity and grandeur was apparent in that Mansoor Zaigham Shaheed, who was holding the flag, did not allow it to fall, in spite of the fact that bullets had riddled his body. He passed on the flag to Sadiq Shaheed, who also upheld it even after he had taken bullets to his leg. The wounded Khaksars kept passing the flag under the shower of bullets in order to keep it upright. 5 6

In an outrageous sense of anger, the policemen mounted on horsebacks climbed over the falling Khaksars and policemen on the ground struck them with their boots, steelhead batons, and rifle butts; some of the blows were so hard that they opened the skulls of many wounded and dead Khaksars or deformed their faces. The site was spattered with pools of blood. Seriously injured and dead Khaksars were dragged7 by policemen, dumped in vehicles, and whisked away. At night, the dead were moved to the cemetery and buried without informing their relatives. Henry Craik (Governor Punjab) in a secret letter (March 20, 1940) to Lord Linlithgow (Viceroy) reported that police patrolled all night and the dead Khaksars were buried, under police arrangements, in the early hours of this morning before the city curfew was lifted. In the said letter, he stated, “The whole thing was completed before most of the city was aware of it.”8

 

Neither the Punjab nor the Central Government exhibited remorse on the brutal killing. Instead, right after

the bloody tragedy, police raided Khaksar premises and arrested Mashriqi, his sons, and many Khaksars.

(Ehsanullah Khan Aslam, one of Mashriqi’s sons, died within weeks of the injury received from the tear gas

grenade that had struck his head during the raid).

 

To cover up the truth, censorship9 on media was imposed the same day. The authorities released

contradictory and false information about the tragedy. According to The Times (London)10 twenty five

Khaksars died. The New York Times11 reported twenty nine killed, and The Tribune12 reported thirty two

dead. However, private inquiries revealed that over 20013 Khaksars had lost their lives and many had been

injured. The unofficial figure is substantiated by the police register produced on April 24, 1940 before the

High Court Inquiry Committee (this report was never published). According to the register, 1,620 rounds

were issued to the constables on March 19, 1940 and 1,213 were returned14. In other words, 407 bullets

were fired. To conceal the crime and draw public opinion against the Khaksar Tehrik, the authorities and

the anti-Khaksar circle labeled Khaksars with various names such as the fifth columnists, rebels, fanatics,

and radicals. History is witness that the Khaksars were patriots and staunch nationalists; they never went

out to kill or harm anyone. In fact, they had been promoting brotherhood and unity and rendering

unparalleled social services to all races. The reason they were given such names was to safeguard colonial

rule.

 

The indiscriminate massacre of innocent men sent a wave of shock and horror across the entire India.

However, the authorities put aside public feelings, and from that fatal day onwards, the most outrageous

cruelties of the establishment befell on the Tehrik. Orders were issued to take action against Mashriqi and

his followers and supporters and to do anything and everything possible to suppress the Khaksar

Movement. Public media was filled with anti-Khaksar propaganda; police and intelligence agencies went

after the Tehrik. As a result, thousands of Khaksars were arrested (official figures were misleading and did

not go above 2,000). Supporters and even sympathizers15 were reprimanded of penalties if they did not stop

supporting the Movement. Many Khaksars were tried in courts and sentences were awarded; some received

life imprisonment16 17. In prison, what happened with Mashriqi and his followers is again a tragic and

heartbreaking tale. Briefly, the treatment included ruthless beatings, solitary confinement, and physical and

mental torture; several Khaksars contracted diseases, lost mental equilibrium, or died.

 

Indisputably, the Khaksars’ sacrifices — their injuries, imprisonment with inhuman treatment, and loss of

precious lives — sent a definitive message to the world, that no power on earth could now stop the

Khaksars or their nation from rising against the British reign and that the Khaksars would not rest until they

brought the British Raj to an end. Subsequent to this brutal murder, the world witnessed the Khaksars’

resistance against the British Raj and their Muslim and non-Muslim stooges; over the years, desperate

efforts from the Government to crush the Khaksar Movement failed. Hence, this sickening and ghastly

holocaust of non-violent and unarmed Khaksars on March 19th resulted in a mass public uprising and

ultimately led to British India’s freedom.

 

To conclude, it is not only important to remember and salute the Khaksar martyrs on March 19, but this day

should also serve as a reminder to stand up against injustices and fight to bring everlasting peace to the

world, as Mashriqi desired.

 

“Long Live The Ideals of the Khaksars... Peace, Amity, Brotherhood, Service - Irrespective of Caste or

Creed, One God, One Humanity, One Practical Religion, ---- Yes, One Religion, Which means Goodness

In Action.”18

 

Ahsan, Lahore, May 11, 1940

 

Zamindar, Lahore, May 11, 1940

 

1 Yousaf, Nasim. 2003. Allama Mashriqi & Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan: Two Legends of Pakistan. New York: Nasim Yousaf, p. 130

2 The Hindustan Times, March 20,1940

3 The Hindustan Times, March 20,1940

4 Saeed, Muhammad. 1989. Lahore: A Memoir. Lahore, Pakistan: Vanguard Books (Pvt.) Ltd., p. 153

5 Nisar, Rasheed. 1992. Al-Mashriqi. Rawalpindi, Pakistan: Islamabad, Pindi Adabbi Society, p. 27

6 Yousaf, Nasim. 2003. Allama Mashriqi & Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan: Two Legends of Pakistan. New York: Nasim Yousaf, p. 132

7 Upon the indiscriminate firing of the police, the Khaksar leaders asked the Khaksars to disperse, but “None the less most of them

decided to die in the open rather than drag their riddled bodies to some hiding place and die a forlorn death” (Saeed, Muhammad.

1989. Lahore: A Memoir. Lahore, Pakistan: Vanguard Books (Pvt.) Ltd., p. 153). Meanwhile, some Khaksars, on the instructions of

their leader, broke up and went into shops, houses, and side streets. The police chased after these Khaksars. They broke open doors

and either arrested, injured, or killed them. Many of the Khaksars were even thrown from balconies. Hafiz Mehar ud Din, a witness

of the incident, told the High Court Inquiry Committee on May 09, 1940 that he saw a Khaksar being dragged by a constable like a

dead dog (The Hindustan Times, May 10, 1940; Gauba, K.L. 1974. Friends and Foes. New Delhi, India: Indian Book Company, p.

204). He saw another Khaksar being dragged by two constables. He further described that the Khaksars in shops were brought out

and beaten by the police. He also, according to The Hindustan Times, “saw two wounded Khaksars being pushed down [by the

police] from the balcony of a house. When they fell down the police dealt them with lathi [baton]” (The Hindustan Times , May 10,

1940)

8 IOL MSS EUR F125/89, letter No. 21, pp.38-44

9 The Tribune, March 27, 1940

10 The Times (London), March 20, 1940

11 The New York Times, March 21, 1940

12 The Tribune (India), April 16, 1940

13 Gauba, K.L. 1974. Friends and Foes. New Delhi, India: Indian Book Company, p.204

14 Yousaf, Nasim. 2004. Pakistan's Freedom & Allama Mashriqi: Statements, Letters, Chronology of Khaksar Tehrik (Movement),

Period: Mashriqi's Birth to 1947. New York, USA: AMZ Publications, p. 143

15 Yousaf, Nasim. 2003. Allama Mashriqi & Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan: Two Legends of Pakistan. New York: Nasim Yousaf, pp. 163,

170, 180

16 Hussain, Al-Haj Hakeem Muhammad. 19 March 1940 Kay Khaksar Shuhada. Lahore, Pakistan: Muktaba Hurriyat, pp. 116-117

17 Yousaf, Nasim. 2007. Hidden Facts Behind British India’s Freedom: A Scholarly Look into Allama Mashraqi and Quaid-e-Azam’s

Political Conflict. New York, USA: AMZ Publications, pp. 104, 213

18 The Radiance (Aligarh, India), February 06, 1943

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