The Chapekar Brothers and Their Role in India's Freedom Struggle

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On June 22, 1897, three brothers carried out the assassination of British official Walter Charles Rand in Pune.
They wanted to take revenge for the colonial cruelty and atrocities during the bubonic plague crisis.

The Chapekar brothers were brave Indian revolutionaries from the late 19th century who started armed resistance against British rule.
The three biological brothers were Damodar Hari Chapekar (28), Balkrishna Hari Chapekar (24), and Vasudeo Hari Chapekar (18).
They originally came from the Konkan region and hold a unique place in history as the only set of three biological brothers hanged for India's freedom.

The brothers grew up in a religious family as the sons of Haripant Chapekar, a famous kirtankar or scriptural singer.
The family later moved to Sadashiv Peth in Pune to stay close to their followers.
Listening to religious stories from childhood, Damodar Chapekar often wondered why his generation could not fight the British oppressors the same way people fought demons in mythology.
The brothers drew deep inspiration from the armed struggle of Vasudev Balwant Phadke.
They were also strong followers of nationalist leader Lokmanya Tilak and read his bold newspaper Kesari regularly.

A severe bubonic plague outbreak hit Pune in October 1896.
To handle the crisis, Bombay Governor Sandhurst appointed Walter Charles Rand as the Poona Plague Committee Chairman.
British soldiers forced harsh and insulting rules on local people, entering private homes with leather boots and violating sacred home spaces.
Angry at these actions, the brothers planned to kill Rand during Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebration on June 22, 1897, even sending him a warning letter beforehand.
They waited near the Mutha river bridge and used their secret code Gondya ala re, which they originally used at home to warn each other when their government-employed uncle walked in.
Due to poor visibility in the dark, the youngest brother Vasudeo signaled for the wrong carriage, leading Balkrishna to shoot and kill Lieutenant Charles Ayerst by mistake.
Realizing the mistake quickly, Damodar jumped onto the second carriage and shot Rand, who later died from his wounds on July 3.

The Chapekar brothers fought against British rule before organized revolutionary groups became common, shaking the colonial government and breaking the illusion that the British could not be defeated.
After informants Ganesh and Ramchandra Dravid betrayed them to the police, the three brothers received death sentences.
Damodar was hanged on April 18, 1898, followed by Vasudeo on May 8, and Balkrishna on May 12, 1898.
Damodar wrote about his deep love for the country in his memoir titled Musings from the Gallows.
The supreme sacrifice of the Chapekar brothers inspired many others, moving a young Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in Nashik to take an oath before goddess Durga to finish their work.