Son of the soil Madan Lal Dhingra remembered

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 17

The city paid tributes to the son of the soil, Madan Lal Dhingra, on his martyrdom day today. A state-level programme was organised in which Cabinet Minister Anil Joshi was the chief guest. Another programme was held under the leadership of BJP leader Laxmi Kanta Chawla.

In a separate programme, the Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra Smarak Samiti, spearheaded by Chawla, paid tributes to the martyr at his statue at Town Hall.

She said Dhingra was the first Indian to be martyred overseas in England. He was born on February 18, 1887, in the city. In the course of the freedom struggle, he gunned down Sir William Curzon Wyllie in England. He was executed in London on August 17, 1909, at the age of 26.

Meanwhile, in a state-level function held by the government to commemorate Dhingra’s martyrdom at Sant Singh Sukha Singh Modern High School, Anil Joshi said the SAD-BJP coalition government paid high respects to martyrs and their families.

He said the state government was committed to educate the young generation about the sacrifices made by Punjabis. “For this, memorials are being built to keep youngsters awaken and linked to their past,” he added.

The minister said the sacrifice of Madan Lal Dhingra was duly acknowledged by the state government. He said the martyr challenged the mighty British Empire on their own land. Though he was hanged, his sacrifice inspired the coming generations to continue the struggle to free the country, he added.

Earlier, at the beginning of the programme, a documentary on the martyr was telecast. Students of various schools sung patriotic songs and presented choreography items. Anita Devgan’s theatre group, ‘The Theatre Person’, presented a play, ‘Balidan’, on the life of the martyr. The families of freedom fighters present during the function were also felicitated.