Ninety-six-year old Basnet, a resident of Gauradaha in Jhapa, was a body guard of Juddha Shamsher Rana, the then prime minister, when the four men were arrested for treason. Following their arrest, they were kept in a tent at Putali Garden inside Singha Durbar. Basnet was among the 11 soldiers assigned to guard the prisoners, who went on to become national heroes.

On the eve of the Martyrs' Day, Basnet recalled his relations with the four great men.

"I spent nearly two months with them as a guard. I was also assigned with the task of delivering food to the prisoners brought by their families," Basnet said.

As a soldier serving the Ranas, Basnet said he was loyal to the rulers. While in detention, Shastri had one day asked Basnet what was the reason behind their detetion.

"I ignored him, to which Shastri told me that he and his three friends were jailed for fighting for the welfare of the people."

 Basnet said Shastri had even gifted him a pen, to which he held onto for many years after he and his three freedom fighter friends were executed.

On 23 January, 1941, a curfew order was issued by the authority, and a meeting called by Juddha Shamsher decided to execute the four prisoners.   

"The four men could have walked out alive if they had agreed to apologise. They said that they would rather sacrifice their lives than apologise for their deed," Basnet said.  

Shastri was taken out from detention on the night of January 23 by some soldiers. He was found hung in Teku the day after. "It was Mathema who got hung afterwards," Basnet said.    

Shrestha and Chand were shot dead at Bishnumati river on the last week of January 1941. Basnet said the man who was assigned to shoot Shrestha and Chand had refused to execute them so an army officer had to shoot the two men.

"Those four men were the real martyrs of this country," Basnet said, adding that Nepal would not have become the same without the sacrifice from those four men.