‘Most memorabilia associated with Udham Singh’s life yet to be brought to his Sangrur memorial’: Gadri Udham Singh Vichar Manch

Statue of Udham Singh in the memorial. (Express file)

Further, the two urns containing Udham Singh’s ashes continue to lie in the college library at Udham Singh Government College in Sunam, Sangrur.

Built on four acres, the memorial was inaugurated by former CM Amarinder Singh on July 31, 2021.

“Last year, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann had promised to bring things related to Udham Singh lying in different parts of the country to Punjab. He had promised to get a new statue made of Udham Singh. One year has passed and nothing has happened in that direction. The CM hails from Sunam. His village Satoj falls in this constituency and despite that he has shown such indifferent behaviour,” said historian Rakesh Kumar, who is also the president of Gadri Udham Singh Vichar Manch.

“We have highlighted the matter before the AAP government a number of times… but it seems that they too are behaving like the previous governments,” he added.

It needs to be mentioned that one of the two urns was brought to the museum on July 31 (Martyrdom Day) last year for a function attended by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. But the next day, the urn was back in the library. The same thing happened in 2021 as well.

“Even this year, ashes are lying at the government college library and probably they will be brought to the memorial site on Monday as the CM will be coming yet again,” Kumar said.

It took nearly five years for two governments (the SAD-led government launched the memorial project in 2016 and the Congress government inaugurated it in 2021) to inaugurate the project but work at the museum is yet to be complete. The museum has few pictures of Udham Singh and many other important things related to him are lying in different parts of the country and abroad, said Vichar Manch members.

Kumar said, “Some letters of Udham Singh are lying in GNDU Amritsar library and ashes in Sunam college. At least these things can be brought here to the museum, they do not involve any investment. An enclosure to keep the ashes has also been made inside the museum.”

Vichar Manch General Secretary Daat Singh said: “The things which are within Punjab or India should be brought to the museum. Why is there a delay in keeping the ashes of the martyr in this museum?”

When contacted, Jaspreet Singh, Sunam sub-divisional magistrate, said, “There was no update on bringing memorabilia to the museum.”