Delhi Metro honours unsung freedom fighter from Kashmir

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 29: Kashmir Freedom Fighter and martyr Sarwanand Kaul Premi has been honoured by Delhi Metro under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahutsav.
Premi, who actively participated in Quit India Movement in 1942-1946 was also jailed many times for his revolutionary poetry on Azadi. But his services and role as a patriotic and revolutionary writer and freedom fighter has been recognised by Government of India as well as Delhi Metro by putting up his Panel featuring his photograph and his small brief about his life and activities as an unsung hero of our freedom struggle.
This is rare honour for any Kashmiri Pandit freedom fighter. The family of martyr has shown its pleasure over the gesture of Ministry of Culture which has earlier acknowledged the late freedom fighter as an un sung hero of India’s freedom struggle. Premi and Maqbool Sherwani of Kashmir have been for the first time added to the list of unsung heroes of freedom struggle from Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370 under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahutsav. Ministry of Communication, Department of Posts commemorated both of them and Post Master General J&K issued a special Postal Cover and My Postal Stamp on October 13 last year under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahautsaw.
The gesture of Delhi Metro has been lauded by some frontal KP organisations and KP leaders. Prominent among them included KOA , Sampooran Kashmir , J&K Vichar Manch and Kashmir Pandit Conference (KPC) .
The prominent KP leaders who have attributed this honour to entire exiled community included C L Gadoo, former president KSD, Delhi, Col Tej Tickoo, former president AIKS and Kundan Kashmir president KPC.
The advertisement panel has been installed at various stations of Delhi Metro including Barakhamba road, Nirman Vihar, Laxmi Nagar, Preet Vihar etc on the eve of 32nd Martyrdom Day of Premi who was kidnapped and killed on May 1 in 1990 along with his son by terrorists in Kashmir.
Late Premi has been posthumously honoured by J&K Government with Gold Medal for his significant contribution in the field of Literature and Language on Independence Day in 1997 and this year the J&K Government honoured him with life time achievement award Republic Day.