Silchar, Sept. 1 -- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma unveiled a statue of Mangal Pandey at Ghungoor in Silchar, honouring the legacy of the freedom fighter and highlighting the role of the Barak Valley during the First War of Independence in 1857.

The Chief Minister, on the occasion, also released books on Mangal Pandey, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, and Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva and Sri Sri Madhavdev.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Sarma paid rich tributes to Mangal Pandey, stating that the Sepoy Mutiny and earlier rebellions against British colonialism in history are referred to as the initial resistance against British imperialism.

The Chief Minister said that in the war of independence of 1857, a new type of rifle was given...