Martyrs remembered: Kakori Shaheed Sthal no less than a temple, says Guv
LUCKNOW: The district administration organised a series of functions to mark Kakori Shaheed Diwas here on Wednesday, commemorating the famous Kakori Conspiracy.
The Kakori Conspiracy was a train robbery that took place between Kakori and Lucknow, on August 9, 1925 during the Independence Movement.
The robbery was organised by the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) which needed money to buy weaponry to fight the British. The British government gave death sentence to freedom fighters Ram Prasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh, Rajendra Nath Lahiri and Ashfaqullah Khan in this case.
UP governor Ram Naik, chief guest at the main event, not only referred to Kakori Shaheed Sthal as a temple but also said that it should be converted into a place of historical and national importance.
“It’s no less than a temple and so demands equal respect and devotion. It should also be brought on the tourist map, to let people know how great our freedom fighters were,” said the Governor as he paid floral tribute to the statues of the martyrs at Kakori Shaheed Sthal.
Naik said the state government had approved a budget of around Rs 4.98 crore for the beautification of Kakori Sthal. “Of this, Rs 2.49 crores has been made available to the constructing agency,” he said.
In his short speech, Naik said, “It important to remember the martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice for the country but at the same time, it is also important to think about what we are doing for society. It’s time to introspect about our contributions as well.”
A number of programmes were held during the day in which students from different schools and colleges participated. District magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma flagged off the commemorative programmes.
“It is the time to remember our brave freedom fighters— Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan and others who sacrificed their lives for us, to make India a free nation,“said Sharma.
Other administrative officials too paid floral tributes to martyrs who executed the Kakori Conspiracy and said their contribution to the country would be remembered for ever.
They also felicitated the family members of the martyrs who participated in the function.