On 25 January, 1915, Rash Behari Bose reached Amritsar and went about assessing the preparations. At a meeting on 12 February, 1915, the date for the revolt was set – 21 February 1915. The plan was to attack cantonments of Mian Mir and Ferozepur while Ambala was to be prepped for a mutiny. As the Gadarites went about making their final preparations for the attack, they were unaware of a traitor, Kirpal Singh in their midst, who had revealed the plan to the police. The planned daring attempt to free India from the British serfdom was foiled by the traitor. Many Gadarites were arrested and put in jail. Kartar Singh, Harnam Singh Tundilat and Jagit Singh escaped the police net. They decided to go to Afghanistan and continue their struggle from there. But Kartar's conscience did not permit him to run away when all his comrades had been arrested.

Kartar Singh Sarabha

On 2 March 1915, they came back to Sargodha and started propagating rebellion amongst the army people there. Risaldar Ganda Singh who was to help them get rifles, got them arrested instead.Kartar Singh went to trial with the other Gadarites in Lahore in what came to be called the Lahore Conspiracy case. In September 1915, the sentence was pronounced—he was to be hanged till death. On 16 November, 1915, Kartar Singh Sarabha was only 19 years old and along with twenty seven of his comrades, he was to be hanged to death. But so severe was the public outcry at the judgement that Lord Hardinge, the Governor General of India, had been forced to intervene.

At the last moment, the sentence of 17 of the Gadarites was changed from death to imprisonment and deportation for life in the Andaman Cellular jail. 

But for Kartar Singh Sarabha, the gallows awaited. During the trial, Kartar Singh had refused counsel. While the judge was impressed by the young man’s intellect, he showed no mercy. He labeled the young boy the ‘most dangerous of all rebels’. The judge said, “He is very proud of the crimes committed by him. He does not deserve mercy and should be sentenced to death.” Witnesses say that the 19 year old sang patriotic song all the way to the gallows, kissed the hangman’s noose, and embraced martyrdom.