While the country remembered freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Rajguru on their martyrdom day on Sunday, it was rather unfortunate that residents of Naughara Mohalla, where Sukhdev’s ancestral house is located, had no idea who he was.
During a visit to the area near Chaura Bazaar on Sunday, HT asked many people for directions to the martyr’s ancestral house. But the only responses this correspondent received from people living there or having shops in the market were, “Who’s Sukhdev Thapar?”
Residents’ reaction could be attributed to the state government’s lackadaisical attitude, as it marks March 23 as martyrdom day of only Shaheed Bhagat Singh, while completely forgetting Sukhdev and Rajguru, who were also hanged along with Singh.
The state government’s official calendar reads March 23 as ‘Martyrdom day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh’ with no mention of Sukhdev or Rajguru.
All India Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar Memorial Trust’s press secretary Tribhuvan Thapar said, “How can we expect something from our government, if it can’t even remember the contributions of its martyrs.
The role of the trio was equal in the freedom struggle, and it’s appreciable that the government remembers Shaheed Bhagat Singh, but how can it forget the other martyrs?”
{{/usCountry}}The role of the trio was equal in the freedom struggle, and it’s appreciable that the government remembers Shaheed Bhagat Singh, but how can it forget the other martyrs?”
{{/usCountry}}Trust president Ashok Thapar said, “This is a fact that Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar who is a hero for the nation, has remained an unsung hero in his own state.
We have been requesting the state government to carve out a direct way to the ancestral house of Sukhdev so that people could reach it easily, and that would also help create more awareness about the martyr, unlike now.”
The trust organised a function to mark the martyrdom day on Sunday morning. However, Thapar rued that no one from the administration reached the martyr’s house to pay tribute.