In wake of criticism by Opposition leaders and some historians over the newly inaugurated Jallianwala Bagh memorial, the Union government on Thursday said all renovations at the memorial, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, were done under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) while observing international best practices to conserve and preserve it.
“Two committees oversaw the entire process, one under ASI and a second panel of experts that consisted of several senior historians,” said Raghvendra Singh, secretary, ministry of Culture. “The renovations were done to commemorate 100 years of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. All of them were carefully approved.” He added that the original memorial remains untouched and has not been modified in any way.
Criticising the revamp, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet on Tuesday: “Such an insult to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh can only be done by those who do not know the meaning of martyrdom. I am the son of a martyr - I will not tolerate the insult of martyrs at any cost.” A culture ministry official countered the criticism. “There are many people criticising the renovations but they are forgetting that the process was carefully completed and not mindlessly done,” a culture ministry official said on the condition of anonymity.
Many across the spectrum slammed the government for overhauling the memorial by installing murals and conducting a sound and light show. “A light has been installed inside the well to help keep it clean,” the ministry official said. “There used to be a sound and light earlier as well but it became defunct. That is nothing new..”
{{/usCountry}}Many across the spectrum slammed the government for overhauling the memorial by installing murals and conducting a sound and light show. “A light has been installed inside the well to help keep it clean,” the ministry official said. “There used to be a sound and light earlier as well but it became defunct. That is nothing new..”
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