British system stifles people even today, says Bhagat Singh's kin

“It’s sad that the same system that was being used by the British 66 years ago is still being followed to suppress the voice of citizens,” grand-nephew of Bhagat Singh, Abhitej Singh Sandhu said, while paying his respects at the Amar Jawan Memorial at CST on Sunday.

Sandhu is on a ten-day tour across the state. He will attend various programmes to mark Bhagat Singh’s execution on March 23. “Today’s youth must understand that Singh’s fight was not against anybody but man-to-man exploitation. It will last till it exists,” he said.

Sandhu is Bhagat Singh’s brother Kulbeer Singh’s 24-year-old grandson.

When asked about his visit to the Amar Jawan Memorial, Sandhu said, “There are many heroes who took part in the independence movement, but remained as unsung heroes, with no mention of them in history. So I decided to underline their contribution by paying respects to them.”

Sandhu will be meeting Manoj Kumar, the maker of 1965 film Shaheed, on Monday.

The memorial had been built in memory of jawans Mangal Gadiya and Sayyed Hussein who were both martyred in the 1857 revolt. It had been vandalised in the Azad Maidan riots in August last year, but had been restored by the civic body in two days.

@DNA