Book Title: Bhagat Singh’s Pistol: The Hunt for a Martyr’s Legacy
Author: Jupinderjit Singh
Publisher: Westland Non-Fiction
Number of Pages: 160
ISBN: 8168873025
Date Published: Sept. 28, 2026
Book Review
Jupinderjit Singh’s “Bhagat Singh’s Pistol: The Hunt for a Martyr’s Legacy” is part investigative history, part detective story. It follows the strange journey of the .32 Colt pistol used by Bhagat Singh in the 1928 shooting of British officer J. P. Saunders—a weapon that vanished from official records for decades before Singh traced it to Indore and helped bring it back to Punjab.
Jupinderjit’s writing style is clear, patient, and grounded in reporting. He does not turn the pistol into empty drama; instead, he follows documents, archives, police records, and interviews step by step. The chapters move like an investigation, shifting between the historical shooting, the weapon’s long disappearance, and the author’s own search, which gives the book a strong sense of momentum.
The scanned letters and documents connected to the pistol’s transfer are among the book’s most powerful features. They turn a famous revolutionary object into something tangible and verifiable, showing how history can be preserved—or misplaced—through paperwork. Singh’s language is simple and precise, making archival research readable without losing its seriousness.
The slight weakness is that the hunt sometimes takes attention away from Bhagat Singh himself. Readers may want deeper reflection on his politics, writings, and moral contradictions beyond the pistol’s recovery. Still, Singh’s achievement is real: he shows that a single object can carry memory, evidence, and national meaning across generations.
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About the Author
Jupinderjit Singh is an award-winning journalist, writer and author based in Chandigarh, Punjab, with more than two decades of experience in journalism. His reporting career has taken him across diverse regions, including Jammu and Kashmir, and he has also served as the state correspondent for Rajasthan, covering the state extensively. His work combines investigative reporting, in-depth research and storytelling rooted in real-life events.
Singh has authored three books, each reflecting a different dimension of his journalistic and literary interests. His first book, Justice for Jassi, co-authored with acclaimed Canadian journalist Fabian Dawson, chronicles the tragic real-life story of Jassi, a Canadian-born Indian woman, and Mithu, a young farmer from Jagraon in Ludhiana. The case, which culminated in Jassi’s murder in an honour killing orchestrated at her mother’s behest, drew widespread attention. Eleven years after the crime, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested Jassi’s mother and uncle in connection with the case.
His second book, Years Later… on Facebook, brings together short stories and newspaper middles, showcasing his creative writing and offering valuable insights for aspiring journalists interested in developing their narrative skills. His third work, provisionally titled 86 Years Journey of Bhagat Singh’s Pistol, explores the history of a pistol associated with revolutionary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. Singh discovered the long-lost weapon in November 2016 and documented his investigation in the book, presenting a detailed account of the research and investigative process.
In recognition of his journalism, Singh received the Prem Bhatia Young Journalist Award in 2005 for his reporting and research on Punjab’s changing demographics, focusing on migration from eastern and central India into Punjab and the movement of Punjabis to Western countries. He has also been a Fellow of the Centre for Science and Environment, undertaking work related to forest rights for tribal communities in Jammu and Kashmir. Through his reporting and books, Singh continues to explore significant social issues, historical mysteries and compelling human stories.
Swapna Peri is a Freelance blogger, book reviewer, narrator, and copy editor.
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