Guwahati: Assam government plans to develop the historic Jorhat central jail into a freedom fighters memorial with museum, park and convention centres. Visiting Jorhat in eastern Assam on 4 January 2022, State chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the government will spend nearly rupees 100 crore for the project.
Out of around 350 bighas of land in the central jail premises, a memorial park with convention centre, yoga and meditation centres will be developed in an area covering around 150 bigha. The freedom fighters’ memorial will include names of all the freedom fighters of the region starting from the 1857 uprising.
The cells where martyr Kushal Konwar and social reformer Pitambar Devagoswami were imprisoned, would also be a part of the memorial park. The existing infrastructure of the jail would be developed and a multi-storey residential complex for the jail officials would also be constructed, informed Sarma.
The central jail, which was constructed during the British colonial rule in India, carries the precious memories of the country’s freedom movement. Many prominent freedom fighters were imprisoned and some of them including Maniram Dewan were hanged there.
Sarma later visited the samadhisthal of Dewan at Chinamora in Jorhat and paid his tributes to the great freedom fighter who was given capital punishment by the colonial forces for waging a war against the British East India Company during the 1857 uprising. He also visited the site at Chinamora tea estate where a life-size statue of Dewan would be installed.
In other programs, Sarma met with office-bearers of Jorhat Stadium and other sports enthusiasts, representatives of Jorhat government boys HS school, Balya Bhavan, Gomdhar Konwar smriti suraksha committee, Dhekiakhowa Bornamghar, Lachit Maidam management committee, Lahdoigorh, Auniati Satra, etc.
In presence of State education minister Ranuj Pegu, Jorhat legislator Hitendra Nath Goswami, Dergaon legislator Bhaben Bharali, Mariani legislator Rupjyoti Kurmi with other distinguished personalities, a group of Jorhat Theatre and Jorhat district unit of AASU also met Sarma and apprised him about some relevant issues.
