YAMUNANAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday remembered Kerala-born lawyer C Sankaran Nair, and hailed him for taking on the British empire over the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar.
Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation for a 800-MW ‘ultra-supercritical’ thermal power unit at the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant here, the prime minister urged people to learn about the contributions of Nair.
His remarks came ahead of the release of ‘Kesari-2’ – a film based on Nair’s life – later this month.
Towards the end of his address, Modi spoke about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and said that in addition to those who died due to the cruelty of the British, there was one aspect which was kept in the dark.
“This aspect relates to the spirit of humanity and standing with the country. His name was Sankaran Nair,” he said.
“None of you would have heard his name. But these days, he is widely talked about. Nair Ji was a famous lawyer and he occupied a very high position in the then British government. He could have enjoyed power and all luxuries,” Modi told the gathering.
But Nair chose to raise his voice against British cruelty after he was moved by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the prime minister said.
“He raised his voice against the British and left his post. He belonged to Kerala and the incident happened in Punjab. He decided to fight a case on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He fought and he shook the foundation of the British empire,” Modi said.
He even took the British government to court on the issue, the prime minister added.
“It was not only a case of standing with humanity, it was also a great example of ‘Ek Bharat and Shresth Bharat’. How a man from Kerala took on the British empire in an incident which took place in Punjab? Such spirit was the real inspiration behind our country’s freedom struggle. It is the biggest strength in our ‘Viksit Bharat’ journey,” Modi said.
“We must know about the contributions of Sankaran Nair. Every child in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal should know about him,” he added.
Hundreds of people protesting peacefully against the Rowlatt Act, which granted the colonial administration repressive powers, were gunned down by British forces without any provocation on April 13, 1919, at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.
Nair was a member of the viceroy’s council until 1919. He resigned as a mark of protest against the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. (PTI)