Sher-e-Punjab Lala Lajpat Rai was hit on the chest during a brutal lathi charge
when he was leading an anti-Simon Commission demonstration at Lahore on October 30, 1928.
Sixty four year old Lajpat Rai succumbed to his injuries 18 days later. One month after
his death, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Chandrashekhar Azad assassinated
Asst. Police Commissioner Saunders, the police officer who assaulted Lajpat Rai during the
lathi charge.
Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and other revolutionaries were tried in the
Lahore Conspiracy Case and a series of other conspiracy cases. Everyday they entered the
court-room singing "Inquilab Zindabad!, " "Bande Mataram!,"
and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai!" Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were
hanged on 23 March 1931.
Many people all over the country wept and refused to eat food, attend schools, or carry
on their daily work when they heard of their hanging. Their song 'Mera Rang De Basanti
Chola' (dye my clothes in the saffron colour of sacrifice) became enshrined in the
hearts of the countrymen.
- 12 teams, divided into 3 groups took part in the 1956 Olympics competition. India won
all the group matches, beating Afghanistan 14-0, USA 16-0 and Singapore 6-0. At this stage
India had scored 36 goals in 3 games, with no goals against. India then scraped past
Germany with a solitary goal victory in the semi-finals.
- India clashed with Pakistan for the first time since the partition of India. Midway
through the second half, India was awarded a penalty corner. The ball was pushed out by
Udham Singh and stopped by Raghbir Singh Bhola. Randhir Singh Gentle took the shot. A
Pakistani defender failed to trap it cleanly and allowed the ball to trickle over the goal
line. And so India secured the gold medal for the sixth time in a row, until then a record
for any country in any team sport in the Olympics.
- Inside-left Udham Singh scored 15 goals for India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics - the
highest tally by an Indian at an Olympics till that date.
- For over 20 years, the only triple gold medallists for India were the 'Hockey Wizard'
Dhyan Chand and goalkeeper Richard James Allen (1928-1936). After the 1956 Olympics,
Balbir Singh Sr., Randhir Singh Gentle and Ranganathan Francis became the other triple gold
medallists for India (1948-1956).
- India's record in the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne was as follows :
- Played : 5
- Won : 5
- Goals For : 38
- Goals Against : 0
- The following were the members of the 1956 Indian Olympic Team :
- Balbir Singh Sr. (captain)
- Shankar Lakshman (goalkeeper)
- Ranganathan Francis
- Bakshish Singh
- Randhir Singh Gentle
- Leslie Claudius
- Amir Kumar
- Govind Perumal
- Charles Stephen
- Gurdev Singh
- Udham Singh
- Raghbir Singh Bhola
- Balkrishan Singh
- Haripal Kaushik
- Raghbir Lal
- O. P. Malhotra
- Hardayal Singh
- Amit S. Bakshi
Photo Courtesy : Balbir Singh Sr.'s Golden
Hat Trick