The 145th birth anniversary Chandra Sekhar Behera, a renowned freedom fighter of the country and the president of the Utkal Sammilani in the year 1919, was observed here.
Attending as chief guest on the occasion, Collector of Sambalpur Samarth Verma named one important road of the town from Charbhati to Dhankauda after the freedom fighter who was also the first chairman of the Sambalpur Municipality.
“Being a lawyer by profession, Behera never deviated from truth and ethics. At the same time, he kept his door open for the poor and needy,” said Sambalpur Press Club president Deepak Panda. However, some noisy scenes were to be witnessed over protest to a book written by one Dharanidhar Pradhan, a retired headmaster of the Chandra Sekhar Behera Jilla School. Pradhan distributed the book at the meeting entitled,‘Koshal Raej Kushal Katha’.
The participants in the meeting not only had had a hot argument with the author, but also tore the book in the meeting venue. They protested presentation of wrong facts in the book. The participants further alleged that the author had little knowledge on Sambalpuri. In the other meetings held at different places, the speakers narrated Behera as a freedom fighter of national level. “But he has not got the due recognition,” the speakers lamented.