Bir Devinder Singh: Give Bassi Pathana jail restoration work to experts

Fatehgarh Sahib, May 2

Former Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh has expressed gratitude to CM Capt Amarinder Singh for announcing to conserve ancient jail in Bassi Pathana in the district as a memorial to Guru Teg Bahadur on his 400th year of birth anniversary. He urged the CM to hand over the restoration work to an agency expert in conserving ancient structures.

He had launched a campaign and held many press conferences on the issue. He had also sent a detailed note to the CM, SGPC and Sikh historians. He said Noor Mohammad Khan Mirza, then Daroga of Police at Ropar, had arrested Guru Teg Bahadur and his followers from the residence of Bhai Nighahyeea from Malikpur Rangrran village (now in Ropar) and produced them before the Sirhind administrator, who ordered that they all be kept in the lock-up at Bassi Pathana. They spent almost four months in the jail till Emperor Aurangzeb ordered that they be allowed hassle-free journey to Delhi.

“Some of the banyan trees are 400 years old and need to be preserved either by the forest department or by experts from PAU, Ludhiana,” he said. — OC