Early Life:
- Sukhdev Thapar was born on May 15, 1907, in Ludhiana, Punjab, British Raj, to Ramlal Thapar and Ralli Devi.
- He belonged to a Punjabi Khatri family of the Hindu community and was raised by his uncle, Lala Achintram, following his father’s death.
Revolutionary Activities:
- Sukhdev Thapar was a prominent member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) and the Naujawan Bharat Sabha.
- He played a crucial role in initiating revolutionary movements in Punjab and other northern regions of India, serving as the chief of the Punjab unit of the HSRA.
- Thapar participated in various revolutionary events, including a prison hunger strike in 1929, and was involved in the Lahore Conspiracy Case (1929–1930).
- He gained notoriety for his involvement in the assassination of Assistant Superintendent of Police J. P. Saunders on December 17, 1928, along with Bhagat Singh and Shivaram Rajguru, in retaliation for the death of senior leader Lala Lajpat Rai.
Lahore Conspiracy Case:
- Sukhdev Thapar was the main suspect in the 1929 Lahore Conspiracy Case, where he and his associates were accused of various revolutionary activities.
- Found guilty, Thapar, Bhagat Singh, and Shivaram Rajguru were sentenced to death following the bombings of the Central Assembly Hall in New Delhi on April 8, 1929.
- They were executed on March 23, 1931, in Lahore Central Jail.
Legacy:
- Sukhdev Thapar, along with Bhagat Singh and Rajguru, is remembered as a national martyr, and a Martyrs’ Day (Shaheed Diwas) is observed on March 23 in their memory.
- The National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala, where they were cremated, pays tribute to their sacrifice.
- Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, a constituent college of the University of Delhi, is named in his memory.
- The Amar Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar Inter-State Bus Terminal in Ludhiana, his birthplace, honors his legacy as well.