Ferozepur, Sep 12 (IANS): The Punjab government will keep the martyrdom of 21 Sikh warriors of the 127-year-old Saragarhi War afresh in the hearts of people, Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Baljeet Kaur said on Thursday after inaugurating the Saragarhi War Memorial at historic Gurudwara Saragarhi Sahib here.

The memorial is dedicated to 21 heroes of the 36 Sikh Regiment who fought with 10,000 Afghani tribesmen to defend the fort of Saragarhi and achieved martyrdom on the battlefield.

Kaur said under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s guidance large-scale work is being done to connect residents of the state with such historic developments.

“Our aim is to connect the masses, especially the young generation, with their proud and glorious heritage,” she said.

Under these projects, the all-round development of places of historical and heritage importance in the state is being highlighted during such events. She said under this series, the first memorial dedicated to the battle of Saragarhi of India has been built at Ferozepur.

According to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the Saragarhi War is one of the eight important wars in the world.

“It is a matter of great pride that martyred soldiers were awarded the Indian Order of Merit (highest medal) i.e. Victoria Cross,” Kaur said.

Throwing light on the memorial, she said the foundation stone of this memorial was laid by the Chief Minister on this day in 2023.

Appreciating the efforts of the district administration, she said the memorial is being completed within the stipulated time at a cost of about Rs 2 crore.

An important contribution of Rs 50 lakh has also been made by Rajya Sabha Member Vikramjit Singh Sahni for this project.

She said this memorial will inspire not only the Sikh community but the youth of the country. She said most of the soldiers who died in this war belonged to Ferozepur.

She said earlier too a museum dedicated to this war was built at Gurdwara Saragarhi with an outlay of Rs 2 crore. In this museum, artefacts and equipment like coding and decoding of the signalling technology used during the Saragarhi War, have been displayed.

Besides, weapons used in the war have also been displayed.

Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney demanded to introduction of a chapter on the Battle of Saragarhi in school textbooks to teach students about the “unparalleled and exemplary battle”.

Sahney said the memorial was an honour to be part of preserving the important chapter of history for future generations.