Demands to rename Teen Murti road and chowk have been made over the past few years by various organisations, including the RSS
Immediately after setting foot in India, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied by PM Modi, headed to Teen Murti Square to pay homage to Indian soldiers killed in 1918 battle to liberate the city of Haifa from Turks. The battle proved critical for the British to drive away Turks from the Middle East, which 30 years later paved the way for the creation of the Jewish state. The Square was also formally renamed as the Teen Murti Haifa Chowk. It also has an association with India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, as it overlooks Teen Murti House and Library, the official residence of Nehru, which now houses a museum to commemorate his life and contribution.
Both the leaders will lay a wreath, and signed the visitor's book in their mother tongue. While Netanyahu signed in Hebrew, Modi inscribed in Gujarati. Mentioning that it was 100th anniversary of the end of World War-1, Modi said renaming of the spot marked a historic occasion to commemorate the sacrifices of Indian soldiers. "Salute to the great Indian traditions of selfless sacrifice and penance," he wrote. The two premiers were received by Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar.
The three bronze statues at Teen Murti represent the Hyderabad, Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers who were part of the 15 Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade. Though there are various accounts of this 1918 battle, all narrate the brave valour with which the lancers undertook the assault drive away the force of Ottoman Turks, Germany, Austria and Hungary. The capture cleared a route for the British and their allies for supplies. At least 44 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a single day. There are at least 900 Indian soldiers buried in various parts of Israel and Palestine. Ironically, when Indian soldiers in the British army were engaged in driving Turks out of Middle East, back in India, Mahatma Gandhi was leading Khilafat movement (1919–22) in support of the Turkish Empire.
Till date, the 61 Cavalry celebrates September 23 as its Raising Day or 'Haifa Day'. In Israel, during the PM's visit last year, both leaders had also laid wreaths at the Indian War Cemetery in Haifa. They also unveiled a plaque commemorating the memory of Major Dalpat Singh, who led the successful cavalry charge that resulted in the liberation of Haifa. An Indian officer who laid down his life in the same battle was Captain Aman Bahadur, whose grandson later served as a Brigadier in the Indian Army.
The idea of renaming Teen Murti road and chowk after Haifa was proposed in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) council during when the PM visited Israel last year. But the proposal was deferred to coincide the name changing to centenary year of the Battle for Haifa. Demands to rename Teen Murti road and chowk have been made over the past few years by various organisations, including the RSS. In 2015, senior RSS functionary Indresh Kumar had proposed to acknowledge the role played by the three Indian regiments of British Army in the Battle of Haifa in 1918.
HAIFA CHOWK
- Demands to rename Teen Murti road and chowk have been made over the past few years by various organisations, including the RSS.
- In 2015, senior RSS functionary Indresh Kumar had proposed to acknowledge the role played by the 3 Indian regiments of British Army in the Battle of Haifa.
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 "Teen Murti Haifa Chowk")
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