NATION SALUTES TO VEER CHANDRA SINGH GARHWALI ON THE 88TH ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC PESHAWAR EPISODE

Today is the 88th anniversary of a great revolutionery freedom fighter, a secularist and a valiant fighter cum social reformer to the core who about eighty eight years ago in 1930 gave the Indian freedom movement a historic turn by outrightly refusing the orders of the then British officer, general Rickett to shoot the freedom fighter Pathans led by the frontier Gandhi Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan at Kinari Bazaaar, Peshavar then in Afghanistan.

Brave, fearless and valiant fighter ready to sacrifice his life for the country, Chandra Singh Garhwali was then commanding a unit of Garhwali soldiers in Peshawar. The freedom movement was then building up and the pathans of Peshawar who were fully inspired by Gandhiji under the leadership of the towering Pathan leader Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan were opposing the Britishers for their dictatorial actions and communal policybof Hindu Muslim divide thus demanding Azaadi.

General Rickett orderd the entire battalion led by Chandra Singh Garhwali saying FIRE GARHWALI. But revolutionery Chandra Singh in retaliation, shouted defying the British General’s order CEASEFIRE GARHWALIES. Every soldier put their rifles down and the lives of several Pathans could be saved.

Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali was influenced by the Jalliawalan Bagh massacre and wanted to avert another bloodshed. He preferred his court marshel and life imprisonment in the solitary confinement at Kala Pani, Andamaan Nicobaar cellular Jail thus being behind bars for 14 protracted years for the motherland and saving the lives of hundreds of Pathans.

In the entire history of India one can’t find, visualise and experience such an outstanding example of secularism of the Hindus saving the lives of their muslim Pathan brothers despite confronting Life long solitary confinement. Garhwali had thus after the 1857 revolt of Indian sepoys under Mangal Pandey’s leadership against the then neo colonial British rule opened another inspiring chapter of anti British revolutioneries in India which finally helped in attaining full Indepence from the foreign colonial Yoke.

Garhwali never compromised on principles and ethics in public life and even after Independence rejected Nehru’s proposal to become a union minister. He preferred a hard life of a socio political activist believing in secularist values and fighting corruption through out his life. He was ideologically left oriented and preferrred contesting election from Choundkot constituency in Garhwal single handedly with no election resources but only a self made BHOMPU in his hand.

He visited village to village on foot mobilising people for their constititional rights to badly lose elections but never compromised for Congress ticket which he would have easily got and won. He never approached authorities in power for any personal or family benefit. Such a towering personality of the country sadly met his end in Delhi’s Ram Manohar Hospital in 1979 after a prolonged illness. I remember that the then political stalwart n union minister HN Bahuguna alongwith others marched woth Garhwaliji’s corpse to the Communist Party of India’s office where late Indira Gandhi had also come today her last respectful tributes to this towering revolutionery freedom fighter. Salutes to this historical petsonality of Indian Freedom Movement.
SUNIL NEGI