Reason
- Emerged primarily due to the sudden suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement by Mahatma Gandhi in 1922, which disillusioned young nationalists and steered them toward radical armed resistance.
Nature
- The second wave was deeply influenced by the Russian Revolution, shifting its ideology toward secularism, mass social revolution, and Marxist-socialist principles.
Major Revolutionary Centers & Events in Northern Region (Punjab, United Provinces, and Delhi)
- Hindustan Republican Association (HRA): Founded in 1924 by Sachindra Nath Sanyal and Ram Prasad Bismil to organize an armed rebellion against colonial rule.
- Kakori Robbery (1925): It took place near Lucknow, intending to rob a train to secure funds for weapon procurement, and Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Roshan Singh, and Rajendra Lahiri were hanged.
- Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA): Formed in 1928 at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, under the leadership of Chandrasekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh, explicitly adding “Socialist” to the group’s title to highlight its classless society objective.
- Saunders Assassination (1928): Carried out by Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev to avenge the brutal death of nationalist leader Lala Lajpat Rai.
- Central Legislative Assembly Bombing (1929): Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw non-lethal smoke bombs inside the assembly to protest the repressive Public Safety and Trade Disputes Bills, deliberately surrendering to “make the deaf hear”.
Eastern Region (Bengal)
- Chittagong Armoury Raid (1930): Led by Surya Sen (Masterda), a large group of revolutionaries captured the government armoury, cut off imperial communication lines, and hoisted the Indian flag to establish a provisional revolutionary government.
- Active Women Participation: This phase stood out for the direct participation of women, including Pritilata Waddedar, who led an attack on the Pahartali European Club, and Suniti Chowdhury and Shanti Ghosh, who assassinated a British district magistrate.
Source: The Indian Express