Siliguri, 15th August: On the occasion of India’s Independence, Congress leader Shankar Malakar accused Siliguri Mayor Goutam Deb of engraving his name in the ‘Shaheed Bedi’ (the solemn altar of martyrs) in Siliguri.
Notably, on August 09, 1942, five Congress activists were martyred as a result of the Quit India Movement launched by the Congress Committee led by Mahatma Gandhi. In honour of the revolutionist, a martyr’s altar was erected adjacent to the Siliguri police station. The Congress leaders have a history of honouring the martyrs there. However, due to the lack of maintenance, a significant portion of the altar was taken over by several traders in the area.
On the other hand, the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) has been treating the ‘Shaheed Bedi’ with care for several years and even renovated it under the initiative of Siliguri Mayor Goutam Deb. Similar to every year, earlier today, Congress leader Shankar Malakar visited the alter to pay his respects when he was severely distressed when he came across a plate bearing the Mayor’s name on the alter.
In this regard, Shankar Malakar voiced his disapproval of the mayor and accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of engaging in dirty politics by placing the mayor’s name on the altar and erasing 83 years of history. Meanwhile, Mayor Goutam Deb retorted that the Congress party was engaging in petty politics because the name “Shaheed Bedi” was written on the opposite side of the wall to signify the SMC’s involvement in the alter’s refurbishment.