The nation bowed in reverence on Monday to Shaheed-E-Azam Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev on the 95th anniversary of their martyrdom, honouring the three revolutionaries who were hanged by British rulers at Lahore Central Jail on March 23, 1931 — a day ahead of the scheduled date — in a deliberate act of colonial haste meant to suppress public outrage.

The three freedom fighters had been sentenced to death for their involvement in the killing of British Police Officer Saunders on December 17, 1928 — an act carried out in retaliation for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai. After the execution, the British authorities secretly transported the bodies to the banks of the river Sutlej at Hussainiwala in Ferozepur and cremated them without ceremony, fearing the reaction of a nation already ablaze with the spirit of independence.

The National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala, which stands as a testament to the revolutionary spirit of the trio, drew large crowds of citizens paying their respects. A state-level programme is being held at Khatkar Kalan — the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh — to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of the three martyrs.

The Border Security Force, as part of its Diamond Jubilee celebrations, organised the Ferozepur-Hussainiwala Border Marathon yesterday in honour of the legendary trio. Ferozepur Railway Division has pressed six pairs of special Shahidi Mela trains into service today to ferry visitors between Ferozepur Cantonment and Hussainiwala.