Asfaqullah Khan was one of the greatest revolutionaries of India, who actively participated in the freedom struggle of India and laid the stone of India’s Independence. Born in 1900 in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh to Shafiqullah Khan, he was one of the greatest martyrs of the nation, who sacrificed his life for the freedom of India.
Asfaqullah Khan was in a school the non-cooperation movement started and this movement motivated the Indians to join it and was joined by numerous youngsters of that time but his withdrawal of the movement owing to the Chauri Chaura incident offended them. Most of them left the path shown by Gandhiji and joined the revolutionary organizations. Asfaqullah Khan beloged to the same place as Ram Prasad Bismil and soon became friends. Both of them together carried out the freedom movement from Shahjahanpur. Even though they belonged to different religion it never have an effect on their friendship as their purpose was same, and it was India’s Independence. He supported Bismil in every activity against the British rule.
Shachindra Nath Sanyal together with Asfaqullah Khan and Ram Prasad Bismil formed the Hindustan Republican Association and every activity was carried out from Benars, which became their primary centre. The key purpose of forming this revolutionary association was to gain Independence of India through armed revolution. In 1925 the association published a program called Krantikari for promoting the elimination of inequality and slavery and in order to carryout the revolution and they needed money, which they rasied through Krantikari.
The name of Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan is mainly associated with Kakori Train Robbery in 1925. They planned the robbery of the government treasury with the purpose of getting money to purchase arms and ammunitions for the armed revolution. The mastermind behind this was Ram Prasad Bismil as he detected that moneybags being taken into the guard’s van and being dropped into an iron safe, while travelling from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow. However, Ashfaq did not support the plan and said that it would be a rushed step and will expose the revolutionaries to direct attack by the British government who will use the whole equipment to mash the revolutionary activities. But they still decided to go ahead with the plan and Ashfaq as well joined the mission. On August 9, 1925, Ashfaqullah Khan along with his comrades namely, Ram Prasad Bismil, Rajendra Lahiri, Thakur Roshan Singh, Sachindra Bakshi, Chandra- sekhara Azad, Keshab Chakra- varthy, Banwari Lal, Mukundi Lal, Man- mathnath Gupta set for their mission and looted the train at Kakori. They captured the train at Kakori, which was coming from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow and Ashfaq with the help of his friends went inside the guard’s van and pushed the bags containing money to the ground and finally managed to flee away with the money contained in the bags. They managed to escape but the Government had made a big plan to catch the revolutionaries and finally they were successful.
On 26th September, 1925, Ram Prasad Bimil was arrested but could not trace Ashfaquallah Khan. He wanted to study engineering abroad so that he can help the freedom struggle of India even better and for that he went to Delhi but was betrayed by his Pathan friend who was to help him with it, by informing the Police about him. Finally, he was arrested but the then superintendent of police, Tasadruk Khan, tried to play caste politics tried to influence him by inciting him against Hinduism and told him to give statement against his friend Bismil if he wanted to be released but he denied by saying that "Khan Sahib, I am quite sure that Hindu India will be much better than British India." Although, some of the eminent lawyers of that time made an attempt to save the revolutionaries but they failed to do so and was given death sentence. Ashfaqullah Khan was hanged till death in the jail of Faizabad in the year 1927.
Asfaqullah Khan was in a school the non-cooperation movement started and this movement motivated the Indians to join it and was joined by numerous youngsters of that time but his withdrawal of the movement owing to the Chauri Chaura incident offended them. Most of them left the path shown by Gandhiji and joined the revolutionary organizations. Asfaqullah Khan beloged to the same place as Ram Prasad Bismil and soon became friends. Both of them together carried out the freedom movement from Shahjahanpur. Even though they belonged to different religion it never have an effect on their friendship as their purpose was same, and it was India’s Independence. He supported Bismil in every activity against the British rule.
Shachindra Nath Sanyal together with Asfaqullah Khan and Ram Prasad Bismil formed the Hindustan Republican Association and every activity was carried out from Benars, which became their primary centre. The key purpose of forming this revolutionary association was to gain Independence of India through armed revolution. In 1925 the association published a program called Krantikari for promoting the elimination of inequality and slavery and in order to carryout the revolution and they needed money, which they rasied through Krantikari.
The name of Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan is mainly associated with Kakori Train Robbery in 1925. They planned the robbery of the government treasury with the purpose of getting money to purchase arms and ammunitions for the armed revolution. The mastermind behind this was Ram Prasad Bismil as he detected that moneybags being taken into the guard’s van and being dropped into an iron safe, while travelling from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow. However, Ashfaq did not support the plan and said that it would be a rushed step and will expose the revolutionaries to direct attack by the British government who will use the whole equipment to mash the revolutionary activities. But they still decided to go ahead with the plan and Ashfaq as well joined the mission. On August 9, 1925, Ashfaqullah Khan along with his comrades namely, Ram Prasad Bismil, Rajendra Lahiri, Thakur Roshan Singh, Sachindra Bakshi, Chandra- sekhara Azad, Keshab Chakra- varthy, Banwari Lal, Mukundi Lal, Man- mathnath Gupta set for their mission and looted the train at Kakori. They captured the train at Kakori, which was coming from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow and Ashfaq with the help of his friends went inside the guard’s van and pushed the bags containing money to the ground and finally managed to flee away with the money contained in the bags. They managed to escape but the Government had made a big plan to catch the revolutionaries and finally they were successful.
On 26th September, 1925, Ram Prasad Bimil was arrested but could not trace Ashfaquallah Khan. He wanted to study engineering abroad so that he can help the freedom struggle of India even better and for that he went to Delhi but was betrayed by his Pathan friend who was to help him with it, by informing the Police about him. Finally, he was arrested but the then superintendent of police, Tasadruk Khan, tried to play caste politics tried to influence him by inciting him against Hinduism and told him to give statement against his friend Bismil if he wanted to be released but he denied by saying that "Khan Sahib, I am quite sure that Hindu India will be much better than British India." Although, some of the eminent lawyers of that time made an attempt to save the revolutionaries but they failed to do so and was given death sentence. Ashfaqullah Khan was hanged till death in the jail of Faizabad in the year 1927.