Archive · 15 Aug 2026
1930 Letter Shows Schoolchildren Wore Buttons With Bhagat Singh
India is getting ready to celebrate its 80th Independence Day, and a very old letter from 1930 shows what life was like under British rule.
The letter was written by a police officer to a city official in Delhi about M B High School.
It said that boys in Class 9 were wearing buttons with pictures of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt.
Photographs of political leaders were also put up in classrooms.
The headmaster had to remove the photographs.
Back then, showing support for freedom fighters was treated as very serious by the British government.
Bhagat Singh and Dutt had thrown bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly in 1929 to protest against British policies.
Bhagat Singh was later executed in 1931, and Dutt was sent to prison for life.
The letter shows how closely the British watched schools for signs of political feelings.
A letter dated November 5, 1930, from Delhi's CID superintendent reported that Class 9 boys at M B High School wore buttons bearing pictures of revolutionaries Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt.
Photographs of political and revolutionary leaders were also put up in classrooms at the school, according to the letter.
The letter, sent to Deputy Commissioner J N G Johnson, held the headmaster and second master Dola Ram largely responsible; the headmaster ordered the photographs removed on November 3.
Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly on April 8, 1929, to protest against colonial policies.
Singh's execution in 1931 and Dutt's life sentence made them enduring symbols of India's freedom struggle, and the letter reflects how closely colonial authorities watched political sentiment in schools.
- Who
- The superintendent of police of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Delhi, wrote to J N G Johnson, Deputy Commissioner of Delhi, about Class 9 boys at M B High School wearing buttons depicting Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt.
- What
- Schoolchildren in New Delhi wore buttons with pictures of revolutionaries Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt, and political photographs were displayed in classrooms, prompting a police report.
- When
- The letter was written on November 5, 1930; photographs were ordered removed on November 3, 1930.
- Where
- M B High School, New Delhi, India.
- Why
- The colonial administration closely watched expressions of political sentiment, even in schools, during India's freedom struggle.
- Letter date
- November 5, 1930
- Sender
- Superintendent of Police, CID, Delhi
- Recipient
- J N G Johnson, ICS, Deputy Commissioner of Delhi
- School
- M B High School, New Delhi
- Reported activity
- Class 9 boys wearing buttons with pictures of Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt
- Photograph removal ordered
- November 3, 1930
- Assembly bombing
- April 8, 1929, Central Legislative Assembly
- Sentences
- Bhagat Singh executed in 1931; Dutt sentenced to transportation for life