Jains in the Freedom Struggle: Freedom Fighter Fakirchand Jain
Freedom Fighter Fakirchand Jain
Thousands of innocent people were killed in India's struggle for independence, and if truth be told, all of them were innocent. After all, demanding one's freedom is not a crime. Among these innocents was the 13-year-old immortal martyr Fakirchand Jain. Fakirchand was the nephew of the immortal martyr Lala Hukamchand Jain. Hukamchand Jain had played an important role in the First War of Independence of 1857.
Hukamchand Jain was the Naib Tehsildar (Deputy Revenue Officer) of Hansi. He had a close relationship with Bahadur Shah Zafar, and he stayed in Zafar's court for seven years. Afterward, he returned to his hometown Hansi, where he resumed his duties as Naib Tehsildar. Hukamchand, along with Mirza Munir Beg, wrote a letter to Bahadur Shah Zafar, expressing hatred for the British and assuring him of full support in their struggle against them. When the British took control of Delhi, this letter was found in Bahadur Shah Zafar’s files. As a result, Hukamchand was arrested, along with his nephew Fakirchand. On January 18, 1858, the Hisar magistrate sentenced Lala Hukamchand and Mirza Munir Beg to death by hanging. Fakirchand was set free.
On January 19, 1858, Hukamchand and Mirza Munir Beg were hanged in front of Hukamchand's house in Hansi. The 13-year-old Fakirchand stood amidst a large crowd, witnessing this tragic scene. But suddenly, what happened? The British authorities, without any charge or warrant, seized him and hanged him on the spot. Thus, this young lover of freedom became a martyr at an early age.
आ0 (1) Who's who of Indian Martyrs, Volume III. Page 56.57 (2) सन् सत्तावन के भूले बिसरे शहीद, भाग 3, पृष्ठ 68 70 (3) डॉ० रतलाल जैन, हाँसी का आलेख (4) शोधादर्श, फरवरी 1986 ( 5 ) The Martyrs Page 10-13 (6) जैन दर्पण, दिसम्बर 1995 (7) अमृतपुत्र पृष्ठ 27 एवं 73
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Mahatma Gandhi drew the inspiration for the non-violence that helped India gain independence from his Vaishnav and Jain upbringing. When Gandhi ji was about to go abroad for studies and his mother hesitated to send him, fearing that he would indulge in eating meat and drinking alcohol, Jain monk Becharji Swami made him take a vow not to consume meat or alcohol. Gandhi ji himself wrote, "Becharji Swami was a Jain ascetic who had become one from among the simple traders... He helped me. He said, 'I will make this boy take vows regarding these three things. Then there will be no harm in letting him go.' He made me take the vow, and I pledged to stay away from meat, alcohol, and women. Mother gave her consent."
सत्य के प्रयोग, पृ० 32
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**Historical Sources: The Book "Jains in the Freedom Struggle (स्वतंत्रता संग्राम में जैन)" **

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