Guwahati, Dec 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, paid homage to the martyrs of the Assam Agitation at the newly inaugurated Swahid Smarak Kshetra in Guwahati, marking a solemn moment during the second day of his two-day visit to the state.
Accompanied by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and a host of dignitaries, the Prime Minister visited the martyrs’ gallery at the memorial, where busts of those who lost their lives during the six-year-long anti-foreigners movement have been installed.
He also garlanded the statue of Khargeswar Talukdar, the first martyr of the movement, who died on December 10, 1979.
“This is a significant day for the people of Assam as PM Modi visited the Swahid Smarak and paid tribute to the 860 martyrs for the Assam, Movement. I believe, today’s PM’s visit will put global spotlight on to Assam Movement and the martyrs,” said Education Minister Atul Bora, at the Smarak.
The memorial, inaugurated earlier this month at a cost of Rs 170 crore, features an eternal lamp in memory of the 860 martyrs of the Assam Agitation, which concluded in 1985 with the signing of the historic Assam Accord.
The complex includes water bodies, a prayer hall, an auditorium, a cycle track and facilities for a sound-and-light show depicting key chapters of the movement and Assam’s history.
Earlier in the day, Modi arrived at the Guwahati Gateway Terminal of the Inland Water Transport, recently inaugurated by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and embarked on a cruise on the Brahmaputra.
Aboard the three-deck vessel “M V Charaidew 2”, the Prime Minister interacted with students as part of the “Pariksha Pe Charcha” programme.
Twenty-five students from schools across Kamrup (M), Morigaon, Dibrugarh, Cachar, Sribhumi, Baksa, Dima Hasao, Kokrajhar, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Nalbari districts participated in the interaction, which lasted around 45 minutes.
Security was tightened along the river stretch, with personnel from the River Police, NDRF and SDRF deployed since early morning.
Meanwhile, ferry services on the Brahmaputra were suspended for two days from Saturday in view of the Prime Minister’s visit.
Modi is currently en route to Dibrugarh on a special flight. He will lay the foundation stone of the Namrup fertiliser plant and address a public meeting in Hapjan.