The 77th Independence Day was observed by the Samar Kranti Sena (SKS) in front of the portrait of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose at Rasulgarh Square under the chairmanship of senior journalist Sugyan Choudhury.
Joining as chief guest on the occasion, former Union Minister and Chairman, Jayaprakash Narayan Institute of International Research Studies, New Delhi, Brajakishore Tripathy slammed the Central Government for creating an ever-widening divide between the rich and the poor.
Paying glowing tributes to Bose, Bhagat Singh, Mahatma Gandhi and a great many patriots of the country, he exhorted the youths to act as the custodian of freedom of this independence.
Prominent among others present on the occasion were advocate Soumitra Kara, Bidyadhar Mohapatra, Hrushikesh Pradhan, Janaki Ballava Dhala, Somanath Swain, Satyajit Nayak, Anusaya Pattnaik, Chinmay Nayak, Rama Chandra Mahapatra, Krushna Chandra Rout and Milan Kar.
Chief guest Tripathy awarded Gobinda Patnaik, Sankar Behera, Arat Behera, Lokanath Patra, BasudevSahu, for their blood donation during the last so many years. Volunteer Basudev Parida was felicitated for his outstanding contributions with an appreciation letter by the Puri District Administration. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks by SKS secretary Pramod Kishore Parida.