Capt moots memorial for unknown martyrs of independence struggle

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 13

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday mooted a memorial to honour all those Indians who had lost their lives in any part of the world in the battle for India’s independence.

Speaking at the Centenary Commemoration of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre by The Tribune Trust to pay tributes to the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and honour their descendants, the Chief Minister emotionally recalled his visit to the cellular jails in Andaman islands post the Tsunmai that left the region devastated. He had been ashamed at the fact that he did not know even a single name etched on the walls there, said the Chief Minister, adding that these martyrs had died unknown in the ‘kaala pani’, leaving behind no memories.

“It was time to remember all such martyrs,” said Capt Amarinder, urging The Tribune Trust to help out in tracing all such martyrs, so that India could remember and pay homage to those who gave their lives for the nation. The memorial could be developed in some central city of Punjab, he said.

The Chief Minister exhorted the young generations of the country to dig deep into the country’s history to discover and remember the monumental sacrifice of all those who helped India gain freedom from the British tyranny. 

Citing references from various books on the subject, the Chief Minister said dabbling in history enables one to discover the true story, which in this case was a mix of the human, military and historical aspects of the gruesome event of April 13, 1919. 

The Chief Minister said the Jallianwala Bagh barbarity was the culmination of the anger of Punjabis against the draconian Rowlett Act and General Dyer’s personal motivation, which he admitted later to the Hunter Commission probing the massacre, “to teach a lesson to the people of India”. To carry out his agenda, he drew fully trained and committed men from different regiments, who knew exactly what to do, said Amarinder, questioning the low official figure of the deaths, given the size of the Bagh, the capability of the bullets used etc. Nobody even knew how many of the wounded had died, he pointed out.

On the occasion, Captain Amarinder Singh presented a memento to Sunil Kapoor, grandson of Wasoo Mal Kapoor, a victim of the barbaric tragedy.

Earlier, the Chief Minister joined his Haryana counterpart ML Khattar and others in a one-minute silence, as a befitting tribute to the immortals of Jallianwala Bagh. 

Former J&K Governor and The Tribune Trust chairman NN Vohra, along with other Trustees was among those present on the occasion. Luminaries from political, defence, judiciary, bureaucracy and other arenas also joined the somber event, at which State Minister for Education Suresh Bhardwaj represented Himachal Pradesh.

In his vote of thanks, NN Vohra said the brutal massacre affected the course of Indian history thus changing the contours of India-British relations and paved the way for independence. The inspirational revolutionary atmosphere created by the brutality of the British Empire forced many youngsters like Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh to tread the path of struggle and ensure liberation from foreign rule.

A book 'Martyrdom to Freedom: 100 Years of Jallianwala Bagh' was released at the event. The book, edited by The Tribune Editor Rajesh Ramachandran, draws on essays and archival material of the historic event available with the publication.