Sri Vijaya Puram, Aug 3: Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands has written a letter to the Hon’ble Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah Ji, urging action for the revival and construction of the pending Mount Manipur Memorial at suitable location in South Andaman. The MP has also endorsed copies of the letter to the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Secretary of A&N Islands for necessary action at their end, and has sent a copy to Shri Mukeswar Lall, Member of the UT Heritage Committee and Founder of the Kalipani Museum, for his information and to follow up on the matter.
This request refers to a decision taken during the Hon’ble Home Minister’s visit to the islands on 17th October 2021, when Mount Harriet was officially renamed as Mount Manipur in tribute to the 23 brave Manipuri freedom fighters of the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891, including Maharaja Kulachandra Dhwaja Singh, who were exiled to the islands during the British colonial era.
The Hon’ble MP has expressed concern over the delay in the implementation of the “Sword Monument” project a promised tribute to the martyrs which has seen little progress even after over three years.The letter further recalls the sacrifice of Yuvraj Tikendrajit and Thangal General, who were publicly executed on 13th August 1891, a day now solemnly observed as “Patriots’ Day” in Manipur.
Therefore, the MP underlined that the early construction of the Mount Manipur Memorial would reinforce emotional and historical ties between the Northeast and the Andaman Islands, promote national integration and unity, inspire patriotic sentiments among citizens and tourists, boost heritage tourism and educational awareness in the region.