NEW DELHI: The govt on Tuesday told the Lok Sabha that revolutionary freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru — who were hanged to death by the then British regime on March 23, 1931 — have become martyrs for the cause of attaining Independence of India and that their martyrdom is a fact “not dependent on the presumed presence of absence of official records”.“Martyrdom of these freedom fighters and their invaluable contribution in India’s freedom struggle form an inalienable part of the discourse of our fight for freedom and is well known in our history….Their stature is far above any award or title or status accorded in this regard,” junior home minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar said in written reply to a question on whether the status of ‘martyr’ had been accorded to the three freedom fighters.Stating that their names “will always be written in golden words in the annals of history,” Kumar said the ‘Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s freedom struggle from 1857 to 1947’, published by ministry of culture, has recorded the names of all freedom gighters, including Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. “The government of India’s position on this has remained unchanged since 1947,” he informed the House.A day ago, on the occasion of Shaheed Diwas, PM Narendra Modi had remembered the martyrdom of the three heroes and, in a post on X, said their ideals of justice, patriotism and fearless resistance continue to ignite the spirit of countless Indians. “Today, we bow in reverence to the brave sons of Bharat Mata, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. Their martyrdom for the nation remains etched in our collective memory,” he posted.
