Tribute to Unsung Heroes: Bijnor jail sets up memorial for freedom fighters who served prison time

The names of 418 other valiant freedom fighters, who endured imprisonment at Bijnor jail between 1927 and 1947, have been inscribed.

MEERUT Bijnor Jail has taken a pioneering step by establishing a memorial dedicated to the courageous freedom fighters incarcerated under the British colonial rule before India’s independence.

A sculpture of Shachindranath Bakshi, an active participant in the Kakori Train robbery, now graces the jail premises. (HT Photo)

A sculpture of Shachindranath Bakshi, an active participant in the Kakori Train robbery, now graces the jail premises. Additionally, the names of 418 other valiant freedom fighters, who endured imprisonment at Bijnor jail between 1927 and 1947, have been inscribed.

State’s director general of prisons, SN Sabat, inaugurated this homage within Bijnor jail on Friday, commending the diligent work of Superintendent Dr. Aditi Srivastav and her team.

Sabat stated, “Similar memorials will be established in other jails to pay tribute to the remarkable freedom fighters who were confined across various prisons during the struggle for independence.”

Dr Aditi Srivastav, the jail superintendent, shared her personal connection to the cause, as her maternal grandfather, Basudev Singh, had also been unjustly detained by the British for seven months. She grew up with tales of these fighters’ bravery.

She revealed that Bijnor jail, established in 1852, held the remarkable history of incarceration. Collaborating with her staff, she curated a list of freedom fighters imprisoned between 1927 and 1947. Surprisingly, one of the accused from the Kakori Train Robbery, Shachindranath Bukshi, was transferred here from Lucknow jail.