While formal tributes were paid to freedom fighter and activist Sridev Suman on his death anniversary on Friday, his family members have decided to shift his statue from his native village in protest against the failure of successive State governments to execute the announcements made in his name. Suman’s family members have made arrangements to inspect sites for the statue.
Suman had died at a young age in prison while protesting against the injustice being meted out to the public by the erstwhile royal family of Tehri. His statue was first placed in old Tehri town in 1955. After the town was submerged following the construction of the Tehri dam, preparations were started to shift Suman’s idol to a museum in Delhi.
The family members of Suman strongly protested against this decision and after a year of struggle were able to get the statue installed on their private land in Jaul village in 2004. The aim behind installing the statue here was to inspire coming generations to imbibe the principles of the young freedom fighter for the welfare of society and development of the area. Since then, various announcements were made by politicians and elected public representatives during functions held annually in his memory but most of them were not executed.
Plans were announced for preserving the home in which Suman was born but with none of these being executed, this home is now dilapidated and near collapse. The memorial to Suman in his native village is also in a deteriorated condition. The announcement about improving the condition of the road from Chamba to Jaul village has not been executed. His family members have now decided to shift his idol to another place outside the village. His nephew Mastram Badoni said that Suman’s idol was earlier shifted to the Jaul village in the hope that this would help facilitate the development of the village and preservation of his ancestral home. However, with none of this being done so far by the authorities, the family members are now planning to shift the idol away from the village.