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| Jallianwala massacre included in national movement | | |
MALERKOTLA: Yielding to a long standing demand of granting freedom fighter status to martyrs of the Kuka movement and Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the
Centre has now formally made them part of the national freedom movement.
The Union ministry of home affairs' communique to the principal secretary, Punjab, sent on December 13, states: "Respecting the sentiments of Punjab government ... (ministry) is pleased to accord freedom fighter status to the martyrs of Kuka movement of 1872 and that of Jallianwala Bagh in 1919." It goes on to add that "these massacres have been formally included in (the national) freedom movement" and the martyrs covered under Swatantra Sainik Samman Pension Scheme. Their kin would now be entitled to benefits.
The British had killed 66 Kukas, who marked the first major reaction of the people in Punjab to the new political order initiated after 1849, at Malerkotla. Amongst those who queued up to face the canons was a young kid too small in size to be tied to the machine's mouth and blown off. Asked to fall back, the minor had perched himself on a fellow freedom fighter's shoulders and faced the fire. Likewise, at Jallianwala Bagh, many innocent lives had been lost when Gen Dyer had ordered his troops to open fire on an unarmed and peaceful gathering.
Welcoming the move, eminent historian and author Malwinderjit Singh Waraich claimed, "Justice has finally been done to the long forgotten martyrs." Terming it as "a moment of great pride for the sect," Kuka martyrs memorial trust vice-chairman Surinder Singh Namdhari added: "We are eternally grateful to both the governments. In fact, it would be a moment of double delight when the prime minister unveils the portrait of Satguru Ram Singh, the Namdhari leader who started the freedom movement in 1857."
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