Role of freedom fighters Dr Diwan Singh Kalepani, Baba Prithvi Singh Azad discussed at symposium

Chandigarh, October 2

The roles and experiences of Dr Diwan Singh Kalepani and Baba Prithvi Singh Azad were highlighted during a symposium titled ‘Cellular (Kalepani) Jail: Experiential Narratives’, organised by Shaheed Dr Diwan Singh Memorial Trust in association with Baba Prithvi Singh Azad Chair, Panjab University.

Highlighting the role of Punjabis in the freedom struggle of the country, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said it should be taken forward and given due respect.

Addressing a gathering of intellectuals, scholars and research students of the PU at the Shaheed Dr Diwan Singh Kalepani Museum, Siswan (Mohali), Prof Paru Bal Sidhu, chairperson, Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, who is also granddaughter of Kalepani, gave a moving account of her grandfather’s 17-year-long association with the Cellular Jail as medical officer and then as a prisoner for 82 days under the Japanese occupation of the Andaman Islands. “Dr Diwan Singh was tortured for 82 days by the Japanese and on the 83rd day, he achieved martyrdom. His sacrifice for the people of Andaman remains unparalleled in the history of Colonial India,” she added.

Dhami said, “The trust has established a museum in the memory of great freedom fighter and I assured all possible support for carrying forward his legacy. A delegation of the SGPC had met Jagdish Mukhi, Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in 2017 and handed over a memorandum of demand to name one of the islands as Dr Diwan Singh Kalepani Nagar.”

Jagtar Singh, a journalist who penned a book on Cellular Jail, extolled the role of Dr Diwan Singh in the Punjab history. Professor Emeritus Varinder Kumar of the PU put forth Baba Azad’s narrative in the freedom struggle, emphasising the historical connection between him and Mahatma Gandhi.