NEED TO RECOGNISE PUNJABI-MARATHA CONNECT IN FREEDOM STRUGGLE: PROF GURBHAJAN GILL

SAYS SIX OTHER FREEDOM FIGHTERS ALSO ATTAINED MARTYRDOM WITH SHAHEED KARTAR SINGH SARABHA ON NOVEMBER 16, 1915 FIVE OF THEM WERE PUNJABI WHILE ONE FROM MAHARASHTRA Ludhiana, November 15, 2018: Former Punjabi Sahit Akademi President Prof Gurbhajan Gill today stated that there is a great need to recognise the Punjabi-Maratha connect in the freedom struggle of our country. He said that very few people know that on November 16, 1915, a total of seven freedom fighters, including Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha, attained martyrdom in Lahore Jail. Prof Gill informed that the seven freedom fighters who attained martyrdom in Lahore Jail on November 16, 1915 along with Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha included Shaheed Bhai Jagat Singh Sur Singh, Shaheed Bhai Bakhshish Singh from village Gillwali, Shaheed Bhai Harnam Singh Sialkoti, Shaheed Bhai Surain Singh (Chhota) from village Gillwali, Shaheed Bhai Surain Singh (Wadda) from village Gillwali, and Shaheed Vishnu Ganesh Pingle from Yerwada in Maharashtra. He said that three out of the seven martyrs were from one single village of Gillwali in Amritsar district. While having an informal interaction with Maharashtra’s Cooperation Minister Mr Subhash Ji Deshmukh and MP from Shamli (Maharashtra) Mr Sanjay Kaka Patil, Prof Gill said that there is a need to recognise and establish the Punjabi-Maratha connect in our freedom struggle. He said that even Shaheed Shivram Rajguru, who attained Martyrdom with Shaheed Bhagat Singh, hailed from Pune in Maharashtra. Prof Gurbhajan Gill said that it is saddening that very few people actually know about these historical facts and it becomes the duty of both Punjab as well as the Maharashtra government to educate the masses, especially today’s youth about this by organising joint annual events. He urged both the government’s to recognise the contribution of six other martyrs who attained martyrdom in Lahore Jail along with Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha on November 16, 1915. Prof Gill said that 199 years before Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Bhagat Namdev Ji visited Punjab and breathed his last at village Ghuman in Gurdaspur district. He said that the ‘Bani' of Bhagat Namdev Ji is present in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. He said that there are several examples of Punjabi-Maratha connect which need to brought into mainstream.