Skip to main content

Rallies across Kolkata and Punjab invoke the spirit of Bhagat Singh

By Harsh Thakor* 
On 23 March, the legacy of Shaheed Bhagat Singh was invoked in Kolkata and parts of Punjab through a series of gatherings marking his martyrdom anniversary, amid global political tensions and concerns over escalating conflicts in West Asia.
In Kolkata, a protest programme was held along College Street on the occasion of Anti-Imperialism Day, following a call by several mass organisations. Participants raised demands for an end to ongoing conflicts, protection of natural resources, and the release of prisoners. A street play was performed by the cultural team Red Lantern of the Revolutionary Student Front in front of Presidency University. Representatives from workers’, farmers’ and student groups addressed the gathering, and cultural performances accompanied the procession. The programme concluded with a pledge to oppose imperialism and fascism.
In Punjab, an anti-imperialism conference held in Barnala passed a resolution criticising recent military actions involving the United States and Israel in Iran. Speakers at the conference alleged that such interventions were linked to geopolitical and economic interests in the region and expressed solidarity with the people of Iran. The gathering also criticised the Indian government’s foreign policy stance, calling for a reassessment of its international alignments and advocating closer ties with neighbouring countries.
At Hussainiwala National Martyrs Memorial, a mass gathering was organised by the Krantikari Kisan Union to commemorate the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Sukhdev Thapar and Batukeshwar Dutt. Around 1,000 people, including members of farmer organisations and political groups, attended the event. Floral tributes were paid at the memorial, and speakers, including Darshan Pal, addressed the gathering. The organisers stated that the event aimed to bring together various groups to honour the martyrs and reflect on their legacy.
---
*Freelance journalist

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

Swaminarayan, untouchability and the 'we are not Hindu' argument

By Rajiv Shah   Following my blog on why the Eiffel Tower authorities should take all the blame for giving in to the Swaminarayan sadhus ’ bizarre demand to “invisibilise” women, including its female staff, during their visit to the internationally renowned Paris tourist centre on September 5, an interesting comment by one of the top academics drew my attention to something I vaguely knew about one of India’s most powerful and richest religious sects.
Post a Comment
»

From margins to microphones: The rise of Dalit hip-hop in India

By Tersina Maria Toppo*  A protest does not always arrive as a slogan shouted from a street corner. Sometimes, it arrives on a beat. A microphone replaces the megaphone, a music video becomes a public square, and the smartphone becomes the space where a history once pushed to the margins is narrated, debated, and shared.
Post a Comment
»

Xi Jinping’s visit to USA: Recognition that China can't be contained?

By Vijay Prashad   President Xi Jinping’s forthcoming visit to the United States must be understood as more than an encounter between two heads of state, but it must be seen as an encounter between two possible futures. In one future, the United States imposes a spiral of confrontation against China. Trade disputes harden into economic warfare, then economic warfare intensifies into technological blockades, technological blockades produce military encirclement, and finally military encirclement creates incidents, and incidents the danger of becoming an unimaginable war.
Post a Comment
»