A symbol of great sacrifice Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali

Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Amar rahe !

With Late Indira Gandhiji me in goggle while paying tributes to Veer Chandra Singh Garhwaliji, eighties.
This is a very rare picture. I think it’ s of 1986-87 when the great revolutionery and freedom fighter Veere Chandra Singh Garhwali breathed his last at Willingdon hospital Delhi. I don’ t think except the Garhwalies and the people of Uttarakhand know the great sacrifice of this stalwart of pre Independence India.

Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali was a subedaar in the British Army and was deputed at Peshawar as the chief of his brigade to fire on the Pathans od Peshawar who were fighting for India’ s independence as during those days India and Pakistan weren’ t divided. When the Peshavar Pathans led by then frontier Gandhi. Khan abdul Gaffar Khan was leading the demonstration demanding freedom from the British foreign yoke, Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali was ordered by the British officer authoritatively ‘Fire Garhwali’ .

But prompt came the reply ceasefire Garhwali. The entire platoon dropped their rifles and were arrested and finally send to KALA PAANI , Andaman Jail for 14 long years in solitary confinement. But the Garhwali captain Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali never repented and egoistically embraced the 14 years’ Kala pani, solitary confinement imprisonment for freeing the nationfrom the cluthches of British imperialists. Garhwali’ s family never begged for any financial compensation or remuneration and his two sons died in a very sorry state suffering from financial jeopardy. When Garhwaliji was ill his care was taken by late Kalyan Singh Rawat a CPI comrade and was addimitted in Willingdon hospital where he breathed his last.

I remember on the day of his death several communist leaders and late HN Bahuguna including me and a crowd of over hundred people marched in sad state from the hospital to the Communist party office in Delhi where his wrath was laid for final Darshan before being consigned to flames at electric cremetorium at Nigam Bodh Ghat.

SUNIL NEGI