State govt seeks info from Cellular Jail on ‘unknown’ freedom fighters from Bengal

Eighty per cent of the people who were incarcerated in Cellular Jail by the British, during India’s freedom movement, were from Bengal. The stories of many of them are unknown.

MP | 22 Sept 2023 | Kolkata: The state government is trying to gather unknown information associated with Bengal’s role in India’s freedom struggle from Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and display it in the Alipore Museum. 

“Eighty per cent of the people who were incarcerated in Cellular Jail by the British, during India’s freedom movement, were from Bengal. The stories of many of them are unknown. At the instructions of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a committee has been formed under the leadership of the state chief secretary. 

It is going through documents in the Museum of the Cellular Jail to fetch information about these unknown heroes and make it available in the Alipore Museum. 

We are hopeful that the efforts will soon fructify,” said Firhad Hakim, chairman of West Bengal Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation, on the occasion of the one-year celebration of Alipore Museum on Thursday. 

The museum, developed by HIDCO, was inaugurated on September 21, 2022, by Mamata Banerjee to showcase the history of the Indian freedom struggle with an emphasis on the Bengal chapter. Since its inception, the museum has witnessed additions to its collection, including ‘Nazrul Gallery’ which highlights the role of Kazi Nazrul Islam in the Independence movement. 

The latest addition is the ‘Awards Gallerya’ that houses various prizes different government departments won for “outstanding service delivery”. 

The effort to use dolls to portray the recreation of a day in prison during the British period has also emerged as a prime attraction. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/state-govt-seeks-info-from-cellular-jail-on-unknown-freedom-fighters-from-bengal-533861