Homage paid to Jallianwala Bagh martyrs
Amritsar, Apr 13 (UNI) People from different walks of life today paid homage to the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 13, 1919.
Wreaths were laid at the Flame of Liberty at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial complex and a two minute silence was observed at 1600 hours, the time when the British commander Brig Gen R E H Dyer ordered his troops to fire on a large and peaceful crowd that had gathered at the complex to protest against British rule.
Punjab Health Minister Ms Laxmi Kanta Chawla and BJP MP from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu laid wreaths at the Flame of Liberty and paid homage to the martyrs. Earlier in the day Punjab Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, state Congress chief Shamsher Singh Dullo also paid homage to the martyrs.
CPM politbureau member Brinda Karat along with party workers also paid homage to the martyrs. Deputy Commisioner K S Pannu laid a wreath on behalf of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
Ms Chawla regreted that the conceptual plan to upgrade and beautify the Jallianwala Bagh had not been implemented to date.
Unfortunately politics was being played with the martyrs, she lamented while urging Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to give priority to this project as he was the Chairperson of the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial National Trust.
Earlier Ms Karat while addressing a function organised at the Guru Nanak Bhawan to commemorate 150 years of the 1857 uprising against British rule expressed serious concerning over the growing incidents of female foeticide, particularly in Punjab. '' It is unfortunate that so many Rani's (of Jhansi) do not see the light of the day'', she said while calling for efforts by all sections of society to check this menace.
UNI