'Restore Jallianwala Bagh's original look'

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 15

The local unit of Tarksheel Society, Punjab, on Friday held a demonstration at Company Bagh against tinkering with the original character of the Jallianwala Bagh in the name of its beautification.

They demanded restoration of original character of the historic bagh. Earlier, they paid tributes to the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre to mark Baisakhi.

Activists of society also strongly condemned the Centre for erecting murals on the walls of the narrow street from where General Reginald Dyer passed through with his troops and fired indiscriminately at the people in April 13, 1919 who were protesting against the arrest of Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satya Pal.

The first phase of renovation was carried out under the supervision of Union Ministry of Culture. The work was done in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India.

The society alleged that there were many shortcomings which were highlighted by various organisations and informed the government about this while handing over representations, but the government cold shouldered the same and did not pay any heed to their demands to remove these shortcomings.

Jaspal Basarke and Sumit Singh, both activists of the society, pointed out that mural erected in the narrow street was against the essence of the freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the country. Instead of murals of protesting people, it depicts people dancing with joy. Removing firing point pillar, shifting Amar Jyoti to faraway place, tinkering the original character of martyrs well and turned the park into a picnic place.

They said the renovation had not only hurt the sentiments of the countrymen living here and abroad, but also insulted the great martyrs.

The society alleged despite protests by a number of organisations, the government failed to initiate any steps for resolving the issue. They urged the government to restore the original character of the Jallianwala Bagh.

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