Indian Freedom fighter Bhagat Singh had killed British officer John Saunders on December 17, 1928. The pistol that Bhagat Singh had used to fire the bullet killing Saunders has found after 90 years and half a century of being lost in a storeroom in CSWT museum. According to reports by Times of India, the .32 mm Colt automatic was sitting on public display at the Reoti firing range of the Border Security Force in Indore on Tuesday. It must be noted that it was on this very day, February 15, 1931, that the Viceroy, Lord Irwin had rejected the final mercy petition filed by Congress President Madan Mohan Malviya.
According to reports, many people saw the gun placed in a glass case on daily basis but were never aware of its significance. It was only after the museum authorities removed the black paint from the pistol and matched the serial number on it (168896) that they recognised the owner and the significance of the pistol. It has to be noted that despite his bravery and sacrifice that ultimately inspired generations, Shaheed Bhagat Singh was only declared a martyr by the central government in its records in 2012.
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After avenging the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, Shaheed Bhagat Singh partnered with Batukeshwar Dutt and bombed the Central Legislative Assembly while shouting the slogans for freedom and the revolution to achieve it for the country, before surrendering to the police. In jail, Bhagat Singh went on a hunger strike for 116 days to claim his rights as an Indian political prisoner. Although history books are not clear about this, certain reports suggest that Bhagat Singh had written letters to Viceroy Irwin to consider him as a prisoner of war and be executed by a firing squad. Bhagat Singh was subsequently hanged to death on March 23, 1931.