Sardar Patel

He had come out of the mosque and attacked Sardar Patel.

We were taught that Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse,
but we were never taught who attacked Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on 14 May 1939 in Bhavnagar—
who tried to kill him, and how many of the accused were sentenced to death or life imprisonment by the court.

On 14 and 15 May 1939, the fifth session of the Bhavnagar State Praja Parishad was to be held,
and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was to preside over it.

When Sardar Patel arrived in Bhavnagar, a grand procession was taken out from the railway station.

Sardar Patel was sitting in an open jeep, greeting people standing on both sides of the road.

When the procession reached Khar Gate Chowk, 57 so-called peace-loving people hiding in the Nagina Mosque rushed toward the jeep with swords, knives, and spears.

Two young men — Bacchubhai Patel and Jadhavbhai Modi — saw this.

They immediately surrounded Sardar Patel to protect him,
and without caring for their own lives, they took upon themselves the blows meant for Sardar Patel.

They became a shield for Sardar Patel and sacrificed their lives.

The attackers struck the two young men multiple times with swords —
Bacchubhai Patel was martyred on the spot, while Jadhavbhai Modi died in the hospital.

Even today, their statues stand at the very place where they gave their lives.

The then British government conducted a thorough investigation into the incident and formed a special court.

57 accused were arrested, among whom:

• Azad Ali
• Rustam Ali Sipahi

were sentenced to death.

The following 15 criminals were sentenced to life imprisonment:

• Kasim Dosa Ghanchi
• Latif Miyan Qazi
• Mohammad Karim Sainik
• Saiyed Hussain
• Chandra Gulab Sainik
• Hashim Sumra Tah
• Luhar Musa Abdullah
• Ali Miyan Ahmad Miyan Saiyed
• Ali Mamad Suleman
• Mohammad Suleman Kumbhar
• Abu Bakar Abdullah
• Luhar Ahmadia
• Mohammad Miyan Qazi

They told the court that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had given a speech in Kolkata against the Muslim League,
and therefore, a conspiracy to assassinate him was plotted.

It is extremely unfortunate that after Sardar Patel’s death, the Nehru government erased this historical event from history books,
so that future generations would never know that there had also been a deadly attack and assassination conspiracy against Sardar Patel.