Stories
Bhagat Singh's Historic Pistol Found After 88 Years: From Anonymity to Museum Display.
- •In 2016, Bhagat Singh's pistol, serial number 168896, was discovered at the BSF headquarters in Indore.
- •This was the same pistol Bhagat Singh used to shoot British officer John P. Saunders in Lahore on December 17, 1928.
- •Bhagat Singh also had this semi-automatic Colt pistol when he was arrested after throwing a bomb in the Delhi Assembly on April 8, 1929.
- •After his martyrdom, the pistol traveled from Lahore to Phillaur and then to the BSF's 'Central School of Weapons and Tactics' (CSWT) in Indore in 1969.
- •The pistol remained anonymous for decades due to black paint applied to prevent rust, obscuring its serial number, until journalist Jupinderjit Singh and historian Mavinderjit Singh Waraich's research led to its identification.
- •In October 2017, the pistol was moved from Indore to the Hussainiwala BSF Museum in Ferozepur, Punjab, where it is now on display for visitors.
Key Questions Answered
In November 2016, journalist Jupinderjit Singh and historian Mavinderjit Singh Waraich studied court documents and identified the pistol's serial number as 168896. Following their report, BSF officials checked old armory records and chemically removed the protective black paint from a museum display in Indore, revealing the matching serial number on the third pistol.
Bhagat Singh used an American-made .32 bore Colt semi-automatic pistol, bearing serial number 168896 and butt number 460-M, to shoot British police officer John P. Saunders in Lahore on December 17, 1928.
After being discovered in Indore and following demands from the Punjab government and public, the pistol was brought back to Punjab in October 2017. Today, it is permanently kept in a special glass box for visitors at the Hussainiwala BSF Museum in Ferozepur, Punjab.
