Khatkar Kalan (Nawanshahr), September 27
Even as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said today that Nawanshahr district had been rechristened Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar with immediate effect, the use of an image of the martyr without turban on a commemorative coin hurt the sentiments of people.

He was addressing a state-level gathering on the occasion of the 101st birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh here this noon.

Approval for renaming the district was received late last evening and orders for renaming boards of the offices and milestones in the entire district would be issued within a week, he added amidst applause and slogans of “Bhagat Singh zindabad”.

Keeping in view the sentiments of the people that the coin should sport a turbaned Bhagat Singh, he appealed to the union minister of tourism and culture Ambika Soni, who was also present on the occasion, to show deference to the feelings of Punjabis and convey their sentiments to the Centre.

The Chief Minister said the statue of Shaheed Bhagat Singh installed in Parliament and that of Shaheed Udham Singh at his birthplace, Sunam Udham Singh Wala, were turbaned ones.

He also asked the Centre to accord the status of freedom fighters to the next of kin of the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh massacre and other movements connected with the national freedom struggle like Kamagatta Maru, Babbars and Kukas uprisings.

The sarpanch of the village, Gurmail Rai, released a commemorative coin on Bhagat Singh.