London: It is a widely popular belief about Shaheed Udham Singh that he took an oath on Waris Shah’s epic composition ‘Heer’ during his trial in a London court. It is also often claimed that Udham Singh did this to reject his religious identity. However, historical documents that have now surfaced reveal that not only is the claim of swearing on ‘Heer’ completely false, but the reality is that Sardar Udham Singh did not take any oath at all during the trial.

In the documentary “Not Guilty,” created by Canada-based documentary filmmaker and researcher Sukhdeep Singh Barnala, documents obtained conditionally from the British Library bring this truth to light. Out of a total of 25 individuals who testified during the trial, 24 took a sworn oath. However, one person, instead of swearing an oath, made a legal pledge to speak the truth—meaning he “affirmed” instead of being “sworn.” That single individual was Sardar Udham Singh.

Direct Challenge to the Claim Taught by the Punjab School Education Board

Sukhdeep Singh Barnala’s newly released short documentary, available on the ‘Rising Punjab’ YouTube channel, directly challenges the narrative taught by the Punjab School Education Board. The board’s curriculum currently claims that during his appearance in the London court in 1940, Sardar Udham Singh placed his hand on Waris Shah’s ‘Heer’ to swear an oath.

The Lie Originated from a Fake Letter

In the documentary, Barnala explains that this fabricated story originated from a fake letter that first surfaced in 1973. Former Rajya Sabha MP Manohar Singh Gill brought this letter from England, which claimed that Udham Singh had requested a copy of ‘Heer’ while in his London jail cell.

However, a forensic investigation conducted by the ‘Udham Singh Trust’ in England definitively proved that this letter was a complete forgery. Despite this forgery, the letter became a part of Guru Nanak Dev University’s history curriculum in 1974, and this falsehood gradually trickled down into the twelfth-grade history textbooks of the Punjab School Education Board.

Udham Singh Did Not Take an ‘Oath’, But Gave an ‘Affirmation’

Barnala states that for this documentary, Rising Punjab gained exclusive access to British archives related to the Michael O’Dwyer murder trial to uncover what actually transpired in London’s Old Bailey court.

According to official records, out of the 25 people who appeared in court, 24 were sworn in. But the 25th person—Sardar Udham Singh—refused to take an oath by placing his hand on any book. Instead, he made a legal affirmation to speak the truth.

When his defense lawyer, St. John Hutchinson, asked if he would affirm instead of taking an oath, Udham Singh simply replied, “Yes.” The official court record clearly notes: “Udham Singh, Prisoner, affirmed.” He swore neither on ‘Heer’ nor on the Bible.

Devotion to Sikhism and Sikh Principles

The documentary film questions the intentions of historians who claimed that Udham Singh swore on ‘Heer’ specifically to erase his religious identity and project a secular one. On the contrary, the documentary presents concrete evidence of Udham Singh’s deep attachment to Sikhism and its principles:

• 42-Day Hunger Strike: While incarcerated in London, the prison administration denied Udham Singh permission to bathe and perform his daily prayers (Nitnem). In protest, he went on a gruelling 42-day hunger strike.

• Request for a Gutka Sahib: An official government letter dated June 14, 1940, reveals that a prison official wrote directly to the Secretary of the Khalsa Jatha Gurdwara Sahib in London, specifically requesting a “Gutka Sahib” for the death-row prisoner.

• “ੴ” (Ik Onkar) on his Statement: Debunking the claims that Udham Singh had abandoned his faith, the film points out that on June 5, 1940, the handwritten statement Udham Singh tossed toward the judge had the foundational Sikh symbol “ੴ” (Ik Onkar) written prominently at the very top.