SSC
Swami Shraddhanand, the Arya Samaj leader and founder of the Gurukul at Kangri, was assassinated in Delhi in December 1926 by:
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Answer: Option C — Abdul Rashid
Detailed Solution
Swami Shraddhanand was shot dead at his home in Delhi on 23 December 1926 by Abdul Rashid, a religious fanatic who had come to see him on the pretext of discussing religion.
About Swami Shraddhanand:
- He was born as Munshi Ram Vij on 22 February 1856 at Talwan, in the Jalandhar district of Punjab.
- His father was a police inspector.
- He was influenced by Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the founder of the Arya Samaj, and became a leading Arya Samaj leader of Punjab.
- He worked as a lawyer before devoting himself to education and social reform.
- He took sannyasa in 1917 and took the name Swami Shraddhanand.
Gurukul Kangri:
- He founded the Gurukul at Kangri, near Haridwar, in 1902, to give education based on the ancient Vedic system, along with modern subjects.
- It is now the Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya.
Role in the national movement:
- He took part in the protests against the Rowlatt Act in Delhi (1919).
- In April 1919, he became the first Hindu to address a gathering from the pulpit of the Jama Masjid in Delhi, as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity.
- He was the chairman of the reception committee of the Amritsar session of the Congress (1919).
- He worked for the upliftment of the depressed classes, and for widow remarriage and women's education.
The Shuddhi movement:
In the 1920s, he led the "Shuddhi" movement, to bring back people who had converted from Hinduism, which caused tension with some Muslim groups.
After the assassination:
- Gandhi condemned the murder, and called Abdul Rashid his "brother", saying that the real culprits were those who spread hatred.
- Abdul Rashid was tried and hanged.
About the Arya Samaj:
It was founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati in Bombay in 1875, with the slogan "Go back to the Vedas".
Why not the other options?
- ✗Nathuram Godse, Udham Singh and Madan Lal Dhingra were involved in other assassinations.
Quick tip
Remember: Swami Shraddhanand (born Munshi Ram) = Gurukul Kangri (1902), Shuddhi movement; assassinated by Abdul Rashid (Delhi, 23 December 1926).
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Socio-Religious Reform Movements — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Socio-Religious Reform Movements, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
In the 19th century, reformers worked to remove social evils and revive Indian society. This topic covers organisations such as the Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Theosophical Society, Satyashodhak Samaj and the Aligarh Movement, along with their founders and the social reforms they achieved. Questions usually ask who founded an organisation and when, or which reformer is linked to a reform. For example, Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj and campaigned against sati, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar championed widow remarriage, and Jyotiba Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj. A table of organisation, founder, year and place covers most questions. Practise the socio-religious reform movements questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.