Kumar Rajiv Nayan
Ara : The people may have forgotten the significance of April 23 but this date figures in golden letters in the unseen pages of history. One of the greatest warriors of 1857 uprising, Babu Kuer Singh, had defeated the British Army at Ara and succeeded in hoisting the national flag on April 23, 1858 at Ara Kutchery.
Jagdishpur, a sub-division of Bhojpur district, is the native village of Babu Kuer Singh who had forced the British Army to make a hasty retreat from Ara. However, his fort at Jagdishpur is lying in dilapidated condition due to the apathetic attitude of the State Government, Bhojpur district administration and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Babu Kuer Singh was born at the Fort of Jagdishpur and also breathed his last there. Even after 71 years of Independence, this historical place remains neglected.
The fort, a mute witness to the 1857 freedom movement, is on the verge of collapse for want of care. The Quila Maidan, which at one time was the meeting place for Kuer Singh’s ‘Baghi Fauj’ has gradually become the habitat of cattle. Hare Ram Singh, a resident of Jagdishpur, said that the decision to celebrate ‘Victory Day’ on April 23 as a national festival every year and the order of the Patna High Court to declare the fort as a ‘reserved area’ remain on paper only. One can see heaps of garbage lying in the area.
Professor Gandhi Ji Rai, former Principal, Maharaja College, Ara, said that a Master Plan was made in 1984 for the beautification of Jagdishpur and the preservation of the historical monuments but to no avail so far. He said that a number of national leaders like Dr Rajendra Prasad, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Sri Krishna Singh, Mahamaya Prasad Singh, Satyendra Narayan Singh, Karpoori Thakur, Lal Krishna Advani, General Kariappa, Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi and Nitish Kumar visited this historical place on different occasions to witness the Victory Day on April 23.
Professor Koleshwar Rai, former Head of the Department, History, VKSU, said that after much hue and cry, the Bihar Government had announced to give Rs. 1.12 crore for the renovation and beautification of Jagdishpur fort in 2001 but nothing could be done. He said that this year on the initiative of CM Nitish Kumar a three day Victory Day is being celebrated from April 23 to April 25, 2018, at an estimated cost of Rs 24 crore.
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