CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government has urged the United Kingdom to provide access to original audio and video recordings and archival documentation related to the trial proceedings of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar and Shaheed Shivaram Hari Rajguru.
The state has sought the handover of these materials to Punjab, which are currently preserved in a Scottish museum.
On January 9, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann wrote to the British Deputy High Commissioner to India in Chandigarh, H E Alba Smeriglio.
In the letter, he requested British authorities to facilitate access to the archival material or provide guidance on the formal procedures required to obtain copies for preservation and display.
“These records hold profound historical and emotional significance for the people of Punjab, as well as for global scholars of history and human rights,” the letter read.
In the letter, Mann also emphasised that such cooperation would be a meaningful step in honouring shared history and the universal ideals of justice, sacrifice and human dignity.
“It is learnt that original audio and video recordings and archival documentation pertaining to the trial proceedings of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar and Shaheed Shivaram Hari Rajguru are presently held by authorities concerned in Scotland, reportedly preserved within a museum maintaining a historical legal archives of that era,” the letter read.
The government sought access for academic study, digital preservation, and public exhibition at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Heritage Complex.
For coordination and procedural documentation, the Punjab government has designated Dr Abhinav Trikha, Administrative Secretary, Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, as the nodal officer.
“Any early and positive consideration of this request will be highly appreciated. This gesture will be remembered as a significant step in honouring the shared history and the universal ideals of justice, sacrifice and human dignity,” the letter read.
The 23-year-old Bhagat Singh was hanged on March 23, 1931, along with Sukhdev and Rajguru, for the murder of British police officer John Saunders in what came to be known as the Lahore Conspiracy Case.