Vikram Ditya Sharma/Ferozepur
(MOREPIC1)For the second consecutive year, cabinet minister Baljeet Kaur paid homage to 21 valiant soldiers of the 36 Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army who died fighting against the might of over 10,000 Afridis during the battle of Saragarhi on September 12, 1897 in North West Frontier Province.
The cabinet minister on the occasion of 128th anniversary of Saragarhi Day, said that The Battle of Saragarhi stands as an everlasting symbol of Sikh soldiers’ unmatched courage, pride, and supreme sacrifice. The ceremony, which marked the conclusion of an Akhand Path Sahib held in memory of the fallen soldiers, was attended by Major General Ranjit Singh Manral, GOC Golden Arrow Division, Deputy GOC Brigadier Bikram Singh, AAP MLAs Ranbir Singh Bhullar (Urban), Rajnish Dahiya (Rural), MLA Fauja Singh Sarari (Guruharsahai), Naresh Kataria (Zira) besides kith and kin of the Saragarhi martyrs.
On this occasion, the Minister also honoured the family members of the martyrs with commemorative mementoes as a mark of respect. As per information, only nine of the families of the martyrs including Hawaldar Ishar Singh, Naik Lal Singh, Lance Naik Chanda Singh, Sepoy Heera Singh, Sepoy Nand Singh, Seopy Narayan Singh, Sepoy Bhagwan Singh, Sepoy Sahib Singh and Sepoy Gurmukh Singh turned up for the event including
The family members of these warriors expressed their unhappiness over the efforts of the government to preserve the historical monuments. Santokh Singh descendent of Hawaldar Ishar Singh said that there is no doubt the that the government is constructing new monuments but nothing much is being done to preserve the old one’s. “In our village also, a statue of my great great grandfather has been installed inside a hospital premises but the administration has failed to maintain the sanctity of that place”, said Santokh Singh.
On this occasion, SSP Bhupinder Singh,ADC (General) Damanjit Singh Mann, SDM Ferozepur Amandeep, Chairman Punjab BC Commission Dr. Malkeet Singh, Assistant Commissioner (General) Gurdev Singh Dhamm, SC Commission Member Gurpreet Ittanwali, Market Committee Chairman Balraj Singh Katora, Shri Chand Singh Gill and others were present.
