
Local Bodies Minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar (third from right) and former minister Lakshmi Kanta Chawla (left) during the inauguration of the Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra Memorial in Amritsar on Monday.
Amritsar, May 29
Local Bodies Minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar inaugurated the much-awaited Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra Memorial, built over 4,000 square yards at a cost of Rs 2.44 crore, at Gol Bagh here today. Former minister Lakshmi Kanta Chawla, who was also present on the occasion, was running a campaign to set up a memorial in the memory of the martyr.
Addressing the gathering, she sought the installation of Shaheed Udham Singh’s statue too at the memorial site. She said Dhingra was hanged to death at the London’s Pentoville Prison at the age of 26. Years later, Shaheed Udham Singh was also hanged at the same prison. She felt that this memorial could remind the coming generations of the sacrifices made by martyrs. She said the lives of martyrs would always remain a source of inspiration for the nation. Today, it was a matter of pride that the martyr got due respect.
Dr Nijjar said the Bhagwant Mann government, in its endeavour to fulfil the dreams of martyrs, installed pictures of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and Dr BR Ambedkar in all government offices to inspire people to follow in their footsteps.
He said Madan Lal Dhingra left all comforts at an early age and made important contribution to the freedom struggle.
Addressing the gathering, MLA of the Amritsar Central Constituency Dr Ajay Gupta threw light on the life of the martyr. Born in 1883 in the holy city, Dhingra was executed in London in 1907. He said Dhingra killed William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, the media highlighted the incident across the world. As a result, the movement in the USA, Canada and India got more strength. Though born in a well-to-do family, Dhingra left all charms behind and laid down his life for the country.