VIKRAM DITYA SHARMA/FEROZEPORE
Police have booked 200-250 “unidentified” persons for allegedly breaking down the locks of the shop setup on the ground floor of historical double storey building which is believed to be the secret hideout of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his accomplices from “Krantikari Party”.
It is pertinent to mention here that yesterday hundreds of enraged members of “Naujwan Bharat Sabha” had forcibly entered inside the shop and had thrown everything out of the shop. These protesters were annoyed over the fact that they had been demanding to setup a museum and library here dedicated to martyrs Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries, but till now their demands have not been fulfilled.
The video of the entire incident had gone viral on social media.
The police have booked the accused under sections 452, 379, 427, 323, 148, 149 of IPC at city police station (FIR No. 141 Dated 23.03.2024) following complaint lodged by Parveen Narang, the shopkeeper.
THE BACKGROUND
In 2015, after a prolonged battle fought by the local residents over a period of seven decades followed up by writ petition filed in the High Court by Advocate H C Arora, the department of tourism and cultural affairs had finally declared this building as “protected monument” in December 2015 under the Punjab Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act 1964. In 2016, the district administration had even served notice to the occupants not to alter the structure or sell the premises. Even the then DC DPS Kharbanda had mooted a proposal to relocate the shop and family occupying the first floor to another location for which an agreement was also drafted. However, the matter has remained struck up in files.
Last year on June 22, Union Minister of State for Law & Justice, Culture and Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal had also visited this building and had promised that the building will be handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India for maintenance and development. However in this case also nothing has happened.
Naujwan Bharat Sabha besides other social organizations have been demanding to convert this building into a heritage museum.