He inherited his love for freedom from his father, Lala Gurudas Mal, a hunter who trained his son in marksmanship.The entire Talwar family were devoted followers of Khudai Khidmatgar led by Badshah Khan and Frontier Gandhi.[2] Hari Kishan came into contact with a few like-minded young men who had decided to assassinate the notorious Sir Geoffrey de Montmorency, Governor of Punjab.Hari Kishan explained later that the shots had been erratic because the chair on which he was standing was placed on uneven ground and tilted when he pulled the trigger.Later he was taken to the dreaded torture cells of the Lahore Fort and in that cold winter, was made to lie between the slabs of ice.Hari Kishan made statement before the trial court in the course of which he said As non violent methods to win nation's freedom were frustrated by repression and thousands of my countrymen, and even women and children were jailed, beaten and insulted.[7] Hari Kishan was charged with murder of Sub-Inspector, Chanan Singh and was sentenced to death on 26 January 1931 (It is a coincidence that the Free Republic of India came into being on this day, nineteen years later).A day before his execution, Hari Kishan told to his people his last wish: I pray to God, that I may be reborn in this holy land, India so that I may continue to fight the foreign rulers and liberate my motherland.While in jail, Hari Kishan had wished to see Sardar Bhagat Singh, who was lodged in the next cell of condemned prisoners.[10] On midnight of 9 June 1931, Hari Kishan ascended to the gallows in Mianwali Jail Lahore with a defiant smile on his lips and executed.
Martyr Hari Kishan Sarhadi (Talwar)
Original photograph of Hari Kishan, a few days before his execution, 1931.