1930 CID letter reveals Bhagat Singh, Batukeshwar Dutt images on schoolchildren's buttons

New Delhi: As India prepares to celebrate its 80th Independence Day, a nearly century-old letter offers a glimpse of another India, where pictures of revolutionaries Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt appeared on schoolchildren's buttons, while political photographs found space inside classrooms too. The letter, accessed by PTI, was written on November 5, 1930, by the then superintendent of police, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Delhi, to J N G Johnson, ICS, Deputy Commissioner of Delhi, about activities at M B High School.

The communication said authorities at the New Delhi school were being lax about activities among students, and suggested they might even be encouraging them. It drew attention to Class 9 boys, who were wearing buttons carrying pictures of revolutionary leaders. According to the letter, photographs of political and revolutionary leaders had also been put up in classrooms. The police officer said the headmaster and second master, Dola Ram, were largely responsible, though the headmaster ordered the removal of photographs on November 3.

The letter reflects how closely the colonial administration watched expressions of political sentiment, even in schools. What may appear today as ordinary badges or photographs were, during those days, significant enough to be reported by the CID to Delhi's senior administrative authorities. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt were among the revolutionaries whose actions had captured public attention.

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On April 8, 1929, they threw bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi, protesting against colonial policies and using the trial to spread the message. The Assembly incident brought the two men attention, while Singh's writings, trial and execution in 1931 made him one of the enduring symbols of India's freedom struggle. Dutt was sentenced to transportation for life (life imprisonment) and remained imprisoned for years.

For schoolchildren of the period, admiration for such figures could become part of life. The letter suggests that the freedom movement was not confined to political organisations or public meetings; its influence could be seen through students' choices and classrooms. India finally became independent on August 15, 1947, after decades of mobilisation, protests, imprisonment and sacrifice. The school letter, written 17 years earlier, captures a small moment from that longer journey, when the idea of freedom was reaching young minds.