LUCKNOW: In a glowing tribute to those who make supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, the residents of a small village in Shahjahanpur district have donated 30 bigha land for construction of intermediate and degree colleges. They have decided to write to CM Yogi Adityanath to name different buildings and
faculties of the colleges after those 12 CRPF jawans from Uttar Pradesh who were martyred in a terror attack in Pulwama on February 14..
This group of 79 residents of Nawada Darobast, which has another honour to its credit as it is the native village of freedom fighter Thakur Roshan Singh who was hanged in 1927 for his role in the Kakori loot case in which the British had accused him along with Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan of looting the British government treasury. Bismil and Khan also belonged to Shahjahanpur.
The thought behind dedicating the institutions to the memory of the martyrs goes to establish country’s collective will to avenge the killers of so many jawans. The construction of the educational institutions in the village brings the seven -decade long wait of the villagers to an end. They got the government’s nod last month to build an intermediate and a degree college which will cater to over 500 students from adjoin
villages across several districts of the region.
Besides the colleges, the chief minister sanctioned a hospital, bridge, bus and cremation ground for the village. Jitendra Pratap Singh, the great grandson of Thakur Roshan Singh gives credit to make the colleges a reality in the non-descript village to poor villagers who he says have set an example.
Even before the project could take off, local officials informed the government the village did not have enough government land for the college. “This firmed up the resolve of the villagers and they finally achieved it,” says Capt (retd) Ashok Singh.
However, the villagers also extend their gratitude to the state government for other facilities. “Ours was a neglected village. In the rainy season, we used to find it difficult to cremate our dead. At least now, this village of a martyr will change for the better. We have waited for nearly 70 years for it,” Captain Singh says. Singh’s wife Sarita, who is the village head of Nawada Darobast, ran an awareness campaign. She has also donated land for the project.