Photo Source: ANI
Name of capital of Andaman and Nicobar Island changed
New Delhi, September 13, 2024 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday announced that Andaman and Nicobar Island's capital, Port Blair, has been renamed as "Sri Vijaya Puram".
Shah said that the earlier name of the city had a colonial legacy, while the new name symbolizes the victory achieved in the freedom struggle.
"Inspired by the vision of PM @narendramodi Ji, to free the nation from the colonial imprints, today we have decided to rename Port Blair as 'Sri Vijaya Puram.' While the earlier name had a colonial legacy, Sri Vijaya Puram symbolizes the victory achieved in our freedom struggle and the A&N Islands' unique role in the same," the Home Minister posted on X.
"Andaman & Nicobar Islands have an unparalleled place in our freedom struggle and history. The island territory that once served as the naval base of the Chola Empire is today poised to be the critical base for our strategic and development aspirations. It is also the place that hosted the first unfurling of our Tiranga by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Ji and also the cellular jail in which Veer Savarkar Ji and other freedom fighters struggled for an independent nation," he added.
How Punjab is connected with Andaman & Nicobar Islands' history?
As mentioned in book “Kalapani: Punjabis’ Role in Freedom Struggle”, authored by Jagtar Singh (left) and Gurdarshan Singh Bahiait, is noted that the number of Punjabi political prisoners in Cellular Jail on this penal settlement was not only the highest at one stage, but these Babas from the Ghadr Party successfully struggled hard to end the tortuous hard labour that this jail was notorious for. Several other freedom fighters died in this struggle in jail.
In 2017, a six-member SGPC team visited Andaman-Nicobar to study the alleged neglect of Punjabis particularly the Sikhs’ role in the presentation of documentary on historical narrative of Cellular Jail here popularly known as Kala Pani.
The matter of the alleged neglect of Punjabis particularly the Sikhs’ role in the presentation of documentary was then taken up with Central government.
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