September 18, 2020
Mausam Noor makes Special Mention on removal of names of freedom fighters from Cellular Jail plaques
FULL TRANSCRIPT
The Cellular Jail, known to many as Kala Pani, has been an enduring symbol of India’s colonial past since 1906. Hundreds of freedom fighters have been incarcerated there and been tortured during the British regime. According to the Ministry of Culture, between 1909 and 1938, 585 revolutionaries were jailed there.
Recently, reports have emerged that the government has removed the names of over 400 political prisoners from the plaques in Cellular Jail. The entire list of freedom fighters who were there between 1906 and 1909 has been removed. The government has also removed the exact year in which each freedom fighter was incarcerated there. Instead, it has chosen to divide them in groups of ten years at a time.
This has multiple problems. Historians, scholars, tourists and students visit the Cellular Jail to remember all those who gave up their lives for their country. Removing the time periods of incarceration and dropping the names are insults to the memories and sacrifices of our brave revolutionaries.
Among those whose names were there, as per the Ministry of Culture, undivided Bengal had the highest number of revolutionaries at 398, followed by Punjab at 95. Bengal’s contribution to the Indian struggle for independence has been documented widely all over the world. Therefore, our own government’s neglect of our history is very unfortunate.
I would like to pose a question to the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism. Why has Bengal’s contribution been forgotten? I urge the ministry to correct this grave mistake at the earliest.
