“But I intend to go to Jammu” – Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee (Madhopur checkpost, 11 May, 1953) …
- By : Dr Anirban Ganguly
- Category : Events, Photo Gallery
Events
“But I intend to go to Jammu” – Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee (Madhopur checkpost, 11 May, 1953)
From Jammu retraced the historic and poignant route – drove to Madhopur-Pathankot checkpost with Shri Tarun Chugh, national general secretary BJP, and reached the very spot where Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee was arrested while trying to enter J&K. It was here that Shri Narendra Modi Ji, then CM Gujarat, Chief of the BJP’s Campaign Committee had launched his campaign on 23 June 2013 – 60th anniversary of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s martyrdom – addressing a mammoth meeting from this very place. Portions of the old railing of the bridge is still visible… and the River Ravi still flows…While the dream and resolve of “One Nation, One Constitution” has been realised!
“The next stop was the border check-post at Madhopur on the River Ravi, marking the boundary between States of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. There was a road bridge across the river the boundary lay at the mid-point of the bridge…Dr Mookerjee and his companions reached the Madhopur checkpost at 4.00 pm. But as soon as his jeep reached the centre of the bridge he found the road blocked by a posse of the J&K police…”But I intend to go to Jammu” Dr Mookerjee declared, thereupon the police officer, S.P. of Kathua took an order of arrest under the Public Safety Act of the State… He was being directed to arrest Dr Mookerjee and remove him to the Srinagar Central Jail. “All right”, Dr Mookerjee replied on reading the order and alighted from his jeep. Guru Dutt Vaid, Tek Chand and others followed. In his last message as a free person Dr Mookerjee told Atal Bihari Vajpayee to go tell the country that he had last entered Jammu & Kashmir, though as prisoner, and to carry on his work in his absence…”
