Achhar Singh Chhina - Fatehwal Murder Case 1938-39

Fatehwal Murder Case 1938-39

In 1937 British Government ordered Comrade Achhar Singh Chhina to live in his own village (curfew) for the whole year. In March 1938, on completion of his curfew period the communist party organised a conference on 13 March at Fatehwal village Amritsar, to be headed by Comrade Achhar Singh Chhina and Mohan Singh Batth "and addressed by Gopi Chand Bhargava, Sohan Singh Josh and Begum Fatima. The goondas of Mir Maqbool, the local landlord and parliamentary secretary of the Unionist ministry, disrupted the conference and destroyed the stage. Achhar Singh Chhina and his associates arrived on the scene and held the proposed meeting, despite the impending threat. After Chhina left for Amritsar, Goondas attacked the people who were dispersing. When people retaliated, two attackers were killed, after being pushed down from a roof". Police registered a criminal Case against Comrade Achhar Singh Chhina and Joginder Singh Chhina along with other 47 persons under section 302 IPC. This case was highlighted throughout country and defense appointed a committee to fight a case. The committee was headed by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew, the Congress leader and Karam Singh Mann, both lawyers, were actively involved in the defence. Police forced Mr. Ram Lal, a police constable, to give false statement in the court that at the time of murder Mr. Chhina was the main person who attacked the victim; however, he refused to give this statement in the court.

Being involved in the Fathehwall Murder Case he had to go underground to escape the clutches of the police and he escaped to Russia to help Bose.

The case was defended by Advocate Saifuddin Kitchlew along Advocate Mann where judiciary founded Comrade Achhar Singh Chhina not guilty on all counts and sentenced Joginder Singh Chhina for 20 years against this Case. "The Defence Committee fought the case till the High Court and Succeeded in getting everyone released in 1941".