Balurghat, Sept. 14 -- Remembering the courage and sacrifice of the people of Balurghat during the Quit India Movement, the Balurghat Dibas celebration committee, in association with the Dakshin Dinajpur district administration, observed the 85th anniversary of the historic uprising on Monday.

Subhash Chaki, general secretary of the Balurghat Dibas celebration committee and an eminent lawyer, said the events of September 14, 1942, represented a matter of pride not only for Dakshin Dinajpur but for Bengal as a whole.

"On that day, the people of Balurghat demonstrated extraordinary courage by bringing down the British flag from the treasury building and hoisting the Tricolour. It is unfortunate that this history still remains largely absent from school textbooks. Our initiative is aimed at introducing the younger generation to this struggle. We will neither forget nor allow the legacy of the 1942 Quit India Movement to be forgotten," Chaki said.

Balurghat, which ranked fifth across India and second only to Midnapore in undivided Bengal in terms of the intensity of the 1942 movement, revisited its remarkable role in the freedom struggle through a series of commemorative programmes and a book launch.

The observance began at Dangi Ghat, where floral tributes were paid at the memorial commemorating the events of September 14, 1942. The main programme was subsequently held at the memorial near the Baluchhaya Bhavan, bringing together members of freedom fighters' families, eminent citizens and history enthusiasts.

Eminent lawyer and member of a freedom fighter's family Sushobhan Chatterjee delivered the welcome address. Historian Dr Samit Ghosh spoke on Balurghat's contribution to the Quit India Movement and stressed the need to bring the courage and sacrifices of people from the region to the attention of the younger generation.

A significant highlight of the programme was the publication of Balurghat in the 1942 Movement, authored by Professor Himanshu Kumar Sarkar.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.