Underlining the contribution of people from the North-East in India’s freedom struggle — social activists and academicians on Saturday said even though citizens from this part of the country had actively participated in the freedom movement, they were not given due credit.
It was also stated that North-Eastern people have been serving the nation in different ways and yet this fact was not acknowledged unanimously and they were considered different from people of other regions.
While talking about noted freedom fighter Tikendrajit Singh from Manipur, Professor N Sushil K Singh of Hisar said that as majority of us are unaware of the contribution rendered by people of North-East States, they consider us as outsiders. He was speaking at the 151st death anniversary of U Kinag Nangbah, a freedom fighter from Meghalaya who had lost his life struggling with the British. The event was organised by My Home India, an NGO which works for the growth of North Eastern (N-E) region on Saturday.
Addressing the gathering, Sunil Deodhar, convener of the NGO said, “It is an irony that we do not find mention of freedom fighters from N-E States in history books. Women are very safe there in comparison to any other region. We hardly hear about any case of crime against women and female foeticide is also negligible in this region. Women are treated like goddesses,” he said.
Professor Makkhan lal, a noted historian, also said that all eight States of the North-East region attracts tourists due to its natural beauty, but no Government has worked for developing the tourist spots to attract people from the rest of the country. “The region has good prospect for the tourism sector and if the Government considers it as a tourists’ hub it will help in connecting countrymen with the locals,” lal said.