Raipur:
A memorial to tortured soldiers and personnel of other security forces in the line of the Amar Jawan Jyoti flame would be built in Raipur, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said on Saturday.
Amar Jawan Jyoti’s flame at India Gate in Delhi has recently been merged with the National War Memorial (NWM), sparking criticism from some quarters.
In a press release, Mr Baghel said the removal of the Amar Jawan Jyoti hurt him.
“In honor of the martyrs, a memorial named ‘Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti’ will be built on the campus of the 4th Battalion of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force in the Mana area here,” he said.
“The flame at the monument will glow continuously,” the Chief Minister added.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will act’bhoomi poojan‘ (groundbreaking ceremony) for the monument during its visit to the state on Feb. 3, the statement said.
Congress is “the party of people who make sacrifices and know how to respect sacrifices,” the prime minister said.
A society “that does not respect its martyrs and does not preserve the memories of their sacrifices is being destroyed,” Mr Baghel was quoted as saying.
He was pained by the decision of the BJP-led Union government to merge the Amar Jawan Jyoti flame with the NWM, Mr Baghel said.
“We will honor the martyrdom of the brave hearts (police/paramilitary/army) of Chhattisgarh who sacrificed their lives for the nation in every part of the country, as well as the brave hearts of the country who sacrificed their lives in the state by through this memorial,” the prime minister said further in the release.
Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit the state capital on Feb. 3 to launch a financial aid scheme called ‘Rajiv Gandhi Bhoomihin Krishi Majdoor Nyay Yojana’ for landless workers.