Martyr status sought for Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev

Jalandhar, August 30

US-based North American Punjabi Association (NAPA), in a letter written to Home Minister of India Amit Shah, has sought martyr status for Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev. Chahal said it was very unfortunate that the Government of India facilitated freedom fighters and gave pensions, but revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh were not even given the status of a martyr, leave aside any financial support to their families.

Chahal said a demand to declare Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev as martyrs was made every year during their birth and death anniversaries. He said what was more unfortunate was that the Punjab Government had declared Sarabjit Singh as a national martyr, who died in Kot Lakhpat jail, but Bhagat Singh and others were ignored.

Chahal said some newspapers had reported in the past that the Punjab and Haryana High Court held that status of martyr could not be conferred on these three martyrs because there was no statutory basis.

On the one hand, the Punjab Government claims that no official recognition can be given to anybody as a ‘martyr’ as Article 18 of the Constitution does not permit conferring of any title by the state, but on the other, top-level political personalities are generally given Bharat Ratna, martyrs of war and heroic personalities in the army get Vir Chakra awards, meritorious persons from different civilian services get recognised with Padma awards.

“If Article 18 of the Constitution cannot prevent Bharat Ratna and Padma awards, recognising meritorious personalities, pleading it as a ground to avoid official martyr status to Bhagat Singh is not logical,” added Chahal. Heroes like Bhagat Singh, members of the Indian National Army under the leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and other revolutionaries, were ignored by both Congress and non-Congress governments, he added.