Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday inaugurated the statue of legendary Sikh Revolutionary Baba Maharaj Singh Ji, the first martyr of Jang-E-Azadi, at village Rabbon Uchi of district Ludhiana. Later, he also paid obeisance at Gurdwara Damdama Sahib in the village.CM Channi was accompanied by MP Fatehgarh Sahib Dr Amar Singh, MLA Payal Lakhbir Singh Lakha, Chairman Zila Parishad Yadwinder Singh Jandiali besides Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana Varinder Kumar Sharma and several others.Speaking on the occasion, CM Channi said that Baba Maharaj Singh led an anti-British movement in Punjab after the first Anglo-Sikh war and exhorted the people to strive for unity and integrity of the nation and follow the path shown by the first Sikh martyr of the independence struggle.Pointing out further, CM Channi said that Baba Maharaj Singh Ji was a great patriot who sacrificed his life for the sake of freedom of the country.
He said attempts were made to portray the 1857 revolt as the beginning of the freedom movement of the country but the history proved fact that Baba Maharaj Singh had started the struggle for independence at the very time when he tried to free the last Sikh ruler Maharaja Dalip Singh from the clutches of the British. But, the British got tip-off of the plans made by Baba Maharaj Singh in league with his comrades and imprisoned and sent him to Singapore where he suffered innumerable hardships and was martyred on July 5, 1856, he added.After paying obeisance at Gurdwara Damdama Sahib, CM Channi also honoured religious personalities with appreciation certificates for work done by them during Covid 19 pandemic.On his way back to the helipad, the CM saw a group of villagers standing along the road. Signaling his cavalcade to stop for a while, the Chief Minister interacted with the residents to listen their grievances and assured for its quick resolution to their satisfaction.