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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the Chauri Chaura Centenary Celebrations in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, via video conferencing. The Prime Minister also released a postal stamp dedicated to the Chauri Chaura centenary during the event.
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath was also present on the occasion.
"The day marks 100 years of the 'Chauri Chaura' incident, a landmark event in the country's fight for independence," the release by the Prime Minister's Office stated on Wednesday.
Around 99 people, descendants of those involved in the benchmark incident of India's Independence Movement were honoured.
The list included 72-year-old Kamla Prasad of Dumri Khurd, a grandson of Chinugi who had got the life-long jail term in 'Kalapani' (Port Blair) after the incident.
“I am happy that we are getting the honour and the country will know us from tomorrow,” said an elated Kamla Prasad.
Earlier an official said, "The year-long commemoration of the Chauri Chaura incident’s centenary will begin in all 75 districts of the state with 'Prabhat Pheris' and other programmes from February 4 and will continue till February 4, 2022 ."
Besides the beautification of Chauri Chaura Shaheed Sthal in Gorakhpur, the area is also being developed as a tourist spot on the lines of India Gate, Jallianwala Bagh and Cellular Jail in Andaman, a senior official said.
During the centenary commemoration of the incident, the Gorakhpur administration too is set to earn a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for encouraging people to upload their patriotic videos while singing the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ on its official site.
An official said till 5 pm on Wednesday, a record number of over 1.10 lakh people had already uploaded their videos on the official website.
A total of 23 policemen were killed when a large group of demonstrators, infuriated by the police firing killing three of them, turned violent and set ablaze the Chauri Chaura police post in which the outnumbered policemen had taken shelter after retracting.
The killing of the Chauri Chaura policemen had resulted in the arrests of hundreds of protesters with 228 of them being put on trial, six of them dying during it and 172 ordered to be hanged to death with the remaining sentenced to long-term imprisonments after a hasty eight-month trial.
Reviewing the death sentences, the Allahabad High Court had finally in April 1923 confirmed it for 19 convicts, sentenced 110 of them to life imprisonments in Kalapani (Port Blair) and long jail terms to others.
With PTI inputs
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