12 Facts About Durgawati Devi

Durgawati Devi was one of the few women revolutionaries who actively participated in armed revolution against the ruling British Raj.

Durgawati Devi is best known for having accompanied Bhagat Singh on the train journey in which he made his escape in disguise after the killing of John P Saunders.

Durgawati Devi was married to Bhagwati Charan Vohra when she was eleven.

Durgawati Devi was an active member of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Devi came into prominence when the Sabha decided to observe the 11th anniversary of Kartar Singh Sarabha's martyrdom on 16 November 1926 in Lahore.

Durgawati Devi led the funeral procession of Jatin Das from Lahore to Calcutta after his death in a 63-day jail hunger strike.

Durgawati Devi was caught by the police and imprisoned for three years.

Two days after killing John P Saunders, on 19 December 1928, Sukhdev Thapar called on Devi for help, which she agreed to do.

Durgawati Devi posed as the wife of Singh and put her son Sachin in his lap while Shivaram Rajguru carried their luggage as their servant.

Durgawati Devi returned to Lahore a few days later with her infant child.

Unlike other freedom fighters, after Indian independence, Durgawati Devi started living as a common citizen in quiet anonymity and exclusion in Ghaziabad.

Durgawati Devi later opened a school for poor children in Lucknow.

Durgawati Devi died in Ghaziabad on 15 October 1999 at the age of 92.