Uttarakhand: On Friday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in a tribute ceremony held at the Rampur Tiraha Martyrs’ Memorial in Muzaffarnagar to honor the martyrs of the Uttarakhand statehood movement. He laid floral tributes at the memorial and paid homage to the immortal martyrs.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister announced that statues of statehood movement martyrs—whose statues have not yet been installed—would be erected at suitable locations in their ancestral villages or residential areas. He also announced the upgrading of the State Guest House at Rampur Tiraha, the transformation of the memorial complex’s library into an e-library, and the expansion of the museum. The museum will also feature exhibits related to Uttarakhand’s traditional musical instruments, attire, and folk culture. The Chief Minister stated that the process of re-identifying statehood movement activists would also be completed soon.
The Chief Minister noted that the state government had already decided to install statues of brave soldiers from Uttarakhand—who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of the nation—in their ancestral villages to immortalize their memory. In the same spirit, the memories of the immortal martyrs of the statehood movement will also be preserved for future generations.
While paying tribute to the immortal martyrs of the Rampur Tiraha incident, the Chief Minister stated that the government is continuously working to build the state in accordance with the dreams of the Uttarakhand statehood movement activists and martyrs. He remarked that, with the blessings of these activists and martyrs, he has had the opportunity to pay his respects at Rampur Tiraha, Khatima, and other martyrs’ memorials for the sixth consecutive year.
The Chief Minister observed that the incident involving statehood movement activists—who were peacefully traveling to Delhi on the night of October 1–2, 1994, at Rampur Tiraha—marks a deeply painful chapter in the history of the Uttarakhand statehood movement. The activists waged a long struggle for a separate state of Uttarakhand. Agitators made supreme sacrifices at various locations, including Khatima, Mussoorie, Rampur Tiraha, and the Sri Yantra Tapu in Srinagar. It was as a result of their struggle and sacrifice that Uttarakhand came into existence as a separate state.
The Chief Minister stated that the state government is continuously working for the honor and welfare of the statehood agitators and their dependents. A 10 percent horizontal reservation in state government services is being provided to statehood agitators and their dependents. Appointment letters have also been issued to dependents benefiting from this horizontal reservation. He mentioned that orders have been issued to simplify the process of issuing dependency certificates for statehood agitators, allowing them to be issued at the Tehsil level. The ‘Uttarakhand Statehood Agitators’ Honor Council’ has been constituted to address the issues faced by the agitators.
Statehood agitators are being invited to and honored at state festivals as well as district and state-level programs, and they are also being provided with free travel facilities on state transport corporation buses. The Chief Minister stated that orders have been issued to name state roads and schools after the martyred statehood agitators. The process of reconstructing and expanding the martyrs’ memorials at Rampur Tiraha, Khatima, Dehradun, and Mussoorie has also been initiated.
The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for the installation of statues honoring the statehood agitators martyred during the Rampur Tiraha incident. He noted that a sum of ₹27 lakh has been released for the installation of these statues at Rampur Tiraha. Paying tribute to the contribution of the late Pandit Mahavir Sharma, who donated land for the martyrs’ memorial, he mentioned that a statue of Sharma has also been installed within the memorial complex.
The Chief Minister also expressed gratitude to the local residents who assisted the statehood agitators during the Rampur Tiraha incident. He acknowledged that during those trying times, local people stepped forward to provide support and shelter to the agitators. The people of Uttarakhand will always remember this contribution of theirs. The Chief Minister stated that the role of women (*Matrushakti*) in the movement for the creation of the state of Uttarakhand was unparalleled. Mothers and sisters played a pivotal role in steering the separate statehood movement to a decisive stage, despite facing numerous hardships.
The activists of the statehood movement had envisioned a Uttarakhand where the rights of every citizen are respected, the youth have equal opportunities to progress, and the state’s culture and traditions remain preserved.
The Chief Minister remarked that the struggle and sacrifices of the martyrs and statehood activists would continue to inspire future generations of Uttarakhand towards patriotism, social service, and nation-building. The true tribute to the immortal martyrs of the statehood movement would be to transform Uttarakhand into a prosperous, empowered, and leading state, in alignment with their dreams and aspirations.
A large number of statehood activists, public representatives, and local residents were present, including Kapil Dev Agarwal, MLC Vandana Verma, District Panchayat President Kiran Chaudhary, Muzaffarnagar BJP District President Dr. Sudhir Saini, Vice-Chairperson of the Uttarakhand Culture, Literature and Art Council Madhu Bhatt, Vice-Chairperson of the Uttarakhand Statehood Activists’ Honour Council Subhash Barthwal, Culture Secretary Yugal Kishore Pant, District Magistrate Mayur Dixit, and Senior Superintendent of Police Navneet Singh Bhullar.
