Even British intelligence agents like ‘James Bond’ could not stop Savarkar’s book from coming to India, sent messages of independence on rotis in London

New Delhi: On May 10, 1908, the anniversary of the 1857 revolution was being celebrated at India House in London. Some people who had fought for India’s independence from abroad were present there with full enthusiasm. A pledge of independence was taken by applying sandalwood on their foreheads. The most special thing is that at that time rotis were distributed as a symbol of the message of independence of 1857. Pamphlets of 4 pages written in English were distributed, whose name was – Aye Shaheedon… This pamphlet was specially prepared by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seems to be in trouble by commenting on the same Savarkar in a case. Rahul Gandhi had given a statement that Savarkar has mentioned beating of Muslims in a book. Citing a research by well-known author and historian Devendra Swaroop, he/she talks about the story of a book of Savarkar i.e. ‘1857 Ka Bhartiya Swatantrata Samar’, to confiscate which the British government had merged the then Bombay with London.

After reading the pamphlet, the British sentenced him/her to 50 years in prison

Savarkar’s pamphlet was read out in that meeting which said that the war that started on May 10, 1857, has not ended on May 10, 1908. It will not stop until the next May 10 comes that will achieve that goal. Savarkar was arrested in 1910. he/she was tried for treason. The lines from the ‘Aye Shaheedon’ pamphlet were written in the verdict sentencing him/her to 50 years of imprisonment. This meeting was then mentioned in all the major newspapers of Europe.
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When British intelligence agents went after Savarkar

When the news of Savarkar’s efforts to ignite the flame of revolution was published in European newspapers, it was bound to create panic in the British government sitting in London. Immediately, British intelligence agents like James Bond started searching for the original copy of Savarkar’s book 1857 Ka Swatantrata Sangram.

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The original manuscript of the book was sent to the elder brother

GM Joshi, editor of a Marathi weekly, writes in an article dated January 10, 1947 that Savarkar, like the character of his/her first work Mazzini, sent the manuscript of that book to his/her elder brother Babarao Savarkar in Nasik for publication. Where the search for an anonymous press to print it began. However, before that the British government started raids to seize the manuscript of the book.

The book reached Paris before it was raided

When British agents got a tip-off that this book on freedom struggle was originally written in Marathi and was being printed somewhere in India, they raided all the major printing presses of the then Bombay province. But the owner of the printing press where this book was being printed was a member of Abhinav Bharat Organisation. he/she got a tip-off that a raid was about to take place. he/she sent the book to Paris instead of London. But the French government was also under pressure from Britain. Somehow, this book was printed in a printing press in Holland, but it was publicised that the book was being printed in Paris.

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Lord Minto ordered the book to be banned

When the book was published, all copies were safely delivered to the revolutionaries’ hideouts in France. Britain’s New Scotland Yard police reported the publication of the book to the British government. On December 14, the then British Viceroy Lord Minto ordered Savarkar’s book to be stopped from entering India.

It took 9 months for the British government to decide which section to apply

The government thought hard about how to stop the book from coming to India. Through Customs Act or Post Office Act. Finally it was decided that the book should be stopped through Post Office Act. The book’s shipment should be stopped in England itself, but by the time the government took a decision, the book had already left for India. Because the British government took 9 months to get entangled in many legal complications. Even after marathon efforts of the British intelligence department and the Indian government for nine months from 6 November, 1908 to 23 July, 1909, the book could not be stopped.

It is interesting to know how Savarkar’s book reached India

When the book was printed, it was smuggled into India by hiding it in the covers of popular books like ‘Picnic Papers’, ‘Scott’s Works’, ‘Don Quixote’. The book was also smuggled into the bottom of the goods loaded on the ship. Sometimes the book was smuggled into the ship hidden among the goods loaded on the ship and sometimes it was smuggled into food boxes.

It became so popular that every revolutionary youth started reading it

Even before coming to India, this book had become so popular that every youth started yearning to read it. In those days, a single copy of this rare book was printed for 300 rupees. This single book started circulating among the revolutionaries. MPT Acharya and Madam Bhikaji Cama translated it into French and made it popular abroad. In 1910, Savarkar was arrested in London and was sentenced to two lifetime imprisonments. Savarkar was sent to Kala Pani, which was then called Andaman. ‘Indian War of Independence of 1857’ was later popularized in America by Lala Hardayal. Later, a revolutionary group of Bhagat Singh also published it.

What did Rahul say that now there is trouble?

Pune Police has confirmed the complaint accusing Rahul Gandhi of defaming VD Savarkar as true. Savarkar’s grandson Satyaki had filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi in April 2023 under sections 499 and 500 of the IPC. In fact, Rahul Gandhi had given an interview in London in March 2023, in which he/she said that Savarkar had written in his/her book that he/she and his/her five-six friends had once beaten up a Muslim man and Savarkar felt happy. In this case, Satyaki had filed a case against Rahul in April 2023 at Vishrambaug police station in Pune. The police investigated the matter and submitted its investigation report to the court on 27 May 2024.