Freedom fighter Sri Dev Suman remembered
Tribune News Service
New Tehri, May 25
Members of the Sri Dev Suman Smriti Evam Sanskritik Vikas Samiti paid floral tributes to freedom fighter Sri Dev Suman on his 99th birth anniversary at his village in Jaul Gaon in Tehri district today.
Samiti president Darmayan Singh Bhandari along with Tehri SDM Abhishek Tripathi paid tributes to the freedom fighter.
Bhandari said the 99th anniversary of Sri Dev Suman was being celebrated in various parts of the state. The Tehri SDM inspected exhibitions at the Jaul village on the occasion. Regional Rural Development Society president Sushil Bahuguna was of the view that people should remain aware of their rights and duties.
Sri Dev Suman was born at Jalgaon village in Tehri Garhwal on May 25, 1916. Inspired from Mahatma Gandhi, he joined the independence movement at an early age.
Sri Dev Suman formed a group, Gad Desh Sewa, and during his fight with the King of Tehri, he demanded a complete freedom for the Tehri regime. On December 30, 1943, he was declared a rebel and arrested. The freedom fighter was tortured in jail by mixing pieces of stone in his food. Following that, he decided to go on a hunger strike and was fed forcefully by the jail staff.
After being in prison for 209 days and on hunger strike for 84 days, Sri Dev Suman died on July 25, 1944. His body was thrown into the Bhilangna river without a funeral.
Floral tributes paid
Dehradun: Sri Dev Suman, a renowned freedom fighter of Tehri district, who fought against monarchy and later died at an age of 28 years, was remembered by Congress workers on his birth anniversary celebrated at the party office here today.
State Congress president Kishore Upadhyay paid tributes to the martyr by offering flowers on his picture. Upadhyay said, “Sri Dev Suman was the great hero of Uttarakhand who sacrificed his life to protect commoners from the injustice of Tehri king.”
He urged Chief Minister to rename Tehri Lake as Sri Dev Suman Sagar and add a chapter of his life in school curriculum so that a martyr could an become an unforgettable legend.
