FANS activists visit Andaman & Nicobar Island, pay homage to freedom fighters

NewsBharati    01-Jan-2019
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Indresh Kumar with FANS delegates and freedom fighters' relatives at Cellular Jail

Port Blair, Jan 1: In a solemn function held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of first national flag hoisting on liberated Indian soil by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army (NA) on December 30, 1943, hundreds of people paid homage to the freedom fighters that languished in the infamous Cellular Jail of Andaman and Nicobar Island.

The program was organised by the Forum for Awareness of National Security (FANS) in which family members of freedom fighters along with the members of the FANS participated under the leadership of Indresh Kumar, Patron of FANS and senior RSS functionary.

The program was held at Department of Art and Culture, A & N Administration at the Memorial opposite Andaman Club on December 30, 2018 morning. It may be mentioned that FANS has been organising the "Shaheed Swaraj Dweep Samooh Nanam Yatra" since last some years to Andaman and Nicobar Island in commemoration of the hoisting of national tricolour by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose 75 years ago on the liberated Indian land.

Udit Prakash Rai, Deputy Commissioner of South Andaman hoisted the national tricolour on the occasion.

Indresh Kumar along with 250 delegates of FANS from across the country and members and descendents of freedom fighters Mahavir Singh, Batukeshwar Dutt, Jaidev Kapoor, Shyam Deo Narayan, Netaji Subhash Chandra BOse, Veer Sawarkar, Dr Daya Prasad Katiyar, Baba Wasaka Singh, and Bisen Singh and former INA Soldier John Lobo, Gaurishankar Pandey, Rupa Ray Vice-Chancellor of Puducherry University, Gurmit Singh and FANS President of A & N Islands Chapter Girish Arora were prominently present.

Indresh Kumar expressed happiness on the visit of the Prime Minister Narednra Modi to the Island to commemorate the historic day by hoisting the national tricolour. Chandra Kumar Bose, Netaji's grandnephew, Ranjit SAawarkar, grandnephew of Veer Sawarkar, and John Lobo also shared their thoughts and expressed satisfaction on the visit of the PM. They said that it was a moment of pride for the entire nation.

Indresh Kumar later visited John Lobo’s residence and discussed with him regarding his experiences of the Indian freedom struggle as INA soldier.


 

Indresh Kumar with former INA soldier John Lobo
 
John Lobo had been a soldier of the Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauz set up by Subhash Chandra Bose outside India in the early 40s. He and other INA soldiers gave a ‘Guard of Honour” to Netaji on December 30, 1943 when he first arrived at the Andaman and Nicobar Island freed by the INA. Netaji had hosted the national tricolour on these islands after liberating them from the British occupation.

Indresh Kumar also paid a visit to the Cellular Jail in Port Blair along with the family members of the revolutionaries and other delegates of the Yatra and paid tributes to the martyrs there.

Cellular Jail was built by the British government away from the mainland to house the freedom fighters and revolutionaries. This jail was famous as ‘kaala paani’ and many a freedom fighters died here due to the excesses committed on them by the British.

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