Chandigarh, Jan 25 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday virtually laid the foundation stone of the Jallianwala Bagh Centenary Memorial Park at Amritsar, with an emotional tribute to the unsung heroes and to their families from a poem recalling how “After years still, (we are) carrying the pain of martyrs.”
Remembering the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for India’s independence, the Chief Minister slammed those criticising the state government for setting up their own memorial and said every Punjabi has the right to remember the unparalleled tragedy that paved the way for the freedom struggle. Terming the centenary celebration a happy occasion, he said he will also participate in the national level celebration of the historic event at the Jallianwala Bagh.
On the occasion, Capt Amarinder announced a Jallianwala Bagh Chair at the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) and a literary festival dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives in one of the world’s biggest humanitarian tragedy. “The sky frequents daily to weep here, The arrows still sting in Punjab’s heart...” he read from Rukshanda Jaleel’s poem on the massacre.