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GS Paul
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, April 12
The descendants of the Jallianwala Bagh martyrs are up in arms against the Union as well as the state government, for allegedly denying them their due. They will protest at the historic site on the anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre tomorrow.
After decades-long struggle, the martyrs were granted the status of freedom fighter in 2008. However, the government has reportedly refused to treat them on a par with other freedom fighters. Therefore, benefits such as reservation in jobs, free travel and priority in gas or petrol pump dealership have been denied to their kin.
Though the state government had formed a committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, to make recommendations on the issue to the Centre, the move failed to yield any results.
Since Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust is headed by the Prime Minister, the martyrs’ kin have approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Not getting any response, several people also approached Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, urging him to raise the issue in the Lok Sabha.
President of Jallianwala Bagh Shaheed Parivar Samiti Bhushan Behl’s grandfather Lala Hari Ram Behl died at the entrance of the Jallianwala Bagh on the fateful day. He said he had not got a reply from the PM even though he had written to him thrice.
“On the contrary, Kejriwal promptly gave me a call after receiving our letter. On my request, he has promised to take up our issue in Parliament through the party’s MPs,” he said.
Behl further said the central and the state governments had been ignoring them. “When British PM David Cameron came here in 2013, we were detained by the police in our homes. We were also not allowed to meet Modi on his recent visit,” he said.
Rajiv Arora is the secretary of the samiti. His great grandfather Fakir Chand also died in the Jallianwala Bagh. “Ninety-six years have passed since the massacre, but the government is yet to sort out the discrepancies in the list of martyrs. We have identified at least 25 families in Amritsar, Ferozepur and Patiala, whose forefathers laid down their lives,” he said.
Confusion over number of martyrs
The exact number of the martyrs is not known. The government records say 501 persons died on the day, the samiti states 464 persons died in the massacre. The display board at the Jallianwal Bagh says over 2,000 men, women and children died, but it does not mention any names.
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