On March 23, Martyrdom Day of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru, questions are being raised over the preservation of sites in Punjab linked to these revolutionaries. Several historically significant locations remain neglected, while successive governments have invoked the revolutionaries’ legacy. Bhagwant Mann took the oath as chief minister at Khatkar Kalan, Bhagat Singh’s ancestral village, projecting himself as an ardent follower of the revolutionary.
In January 2026, Mann wrote to the British deputy high commissioner in Chandigarh seeking access to archival material related to Bhagat Singh’s trial, believed to be preserved in Scotland. He stressed that original trial proceedings, documents, and possible audio-visual records are of immense historical importance and should be brought back, or at least accessed in authenticated form, for preservation and display in Punjab.
However, historian Rakesh Kumar, author of the book Secret Hideout, questioned the Government’s priorities. “What about his efforts to restore Bhagat Singh’s secret hideout, which lies under his jurisdiction in Ferozepur? He calls himself an ardent follower of Bhagat Singh and took the oath at Khatkar Kalan. So what efforts has he made on his own? Writing letters is the easiest way to shrug off your responsibility,” Kumar said.
The “secret hideout” is a double-storey building located in Turi Bazar, Ferozepur, spanning 1,150 sq ft in the old city area. According to Kumar, the site remained a hideout for revolutionaries from August 10, 1928, to February 9, 1929, until it was discovered by the British police. He said revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sukhdev, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Dr Gaya Prasad, Mahabir Singh, and Jai Gopal used the premises to plan operations and even conduct shooting practice. “Bhagat Singh’s hair and beard were also cut at this place to hide his identity from the British,” Kumar said.
The building was declared a protected monument by the Punjab tourism and cultural affairs department on December 17, 2015, following documentation submitted in 2014. However, more than a decade later, no restoration or acquisition has taken place. “Neither any step was taken to take over the building nor any funds were allocated,” Kumar said.
The structure remains under the control of Krishna Bhagti Satsung Trust. Two shops operate on the ground floor — one being used as a kirana store godown and the other by an accountant — while a tailor resides on the first floor, where the hideout once functioned.
Members of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha have also flagged the issue. A few tenants still occupy two shops on the ground floor and a house on the first floor of this building. The Government is sleeping over it,” said Manga Azad, its president. He added that organisations that used to hold marches to the site on Martyrdom Day have stayed away this year. “We are going to Khatkar Kalan this year for a rally… we are extremely disillusioned with the way the Government has acted with respect to the martyrs,” he said.
Concerns over neglect are not limited to Ferozepur. In Ludhiana, the ancestral house of Sukhdev Thapar in Naughara Mohalla has been developed as a memorial, but direct access to it remains blocked by five properties located in front of it. In January 2026, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation took possession of one key property as part of a plan to create a corridor linking the site to Chaura Bazaar. However, the project has since slowed down.
“The slow pace of work has also exposed coordination gaps between civic authorities and other stakeholders involved in the project. We are taking up the matter with the owner of the fifth building so as to buy that area ourselves,” said Ashok Thapar, national president of the Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar Memorial Trust.
Visitors still do not have seamless access to the memorial. Demolition work is being carried out manually in the congested locality, delaying progress. While four of the five properties have largely been dealt with, at least one portion remains unresolved. “The target of providing access by March 23 has been missed. Now, the aim is to complete it before May 15,” said Tribhuvan Thapar, another member of the trust and one of the descendants of the martyr, referring to the birth anniversary of Sukhdev Thapar.
Similar gaps are visible in the preservation of sites linked to Udham Singh. His ancestral house in Sunam constituency of Sangrur district of Punjab has been converted into a museum, and a memorial built over four acres at a cost of Rs 2.61 crore was inaugurated on October 31, 2021, by then chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh after its foundation stone was laid on December 26, 2016, by then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. However, issues persist. The museum remains closed on weekends, and despite a designated space, his ashes are kept in Sunam’s government college library and brought to the memorial only during functions.
Historians have also demanded that Udham Singh’s letters preserved at Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar be shifted to the memorial. Rakesh Kumar said that despite repeated representations since 2021, no action has been taken. “The CM has spoken about bringing back Udham Singh’s belongings from London and even objects linked to Bhagat Singh from Pakistan, while also seeking Bharat Ratna honours for the revolutionaries. However, we point out that even basic, local-level interventions remain pending,” said Kumar.
On a day meant to honour sacrifice, the condition of these sites highlights a persistent gap between symbolism and on-ground action in preserving Punjab’s revolutionary heritage.
