PM on Rajasthan visit today; to pay tributes to tribals killed by British

Jaipur, Nov 1 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to pay homage to 1,500 tribals, who were martyred 109 years ago in Mangarh Dham, during his Rajasthan visit on Tuesday.

Thereafter, he will address a large public gathering to be attended by around 1 lakh people.

During his 'Mann ki Baat' programme on Sunday, the Prime Minister had spoken on the significance of Mangarh Dham.

"Tribal society is the protector of nature and the tribal community serves Mother Earth. Everyone should learn the work of environmental protection from them," he had said. He also mentioned the incident of 1500 tribals being killed by British rule in Mangarh in 1913.

On Tuesday, he is expected to declare this 'dham' as a national monument while addressing a massive crowd in Mangarh Dham.

Along with Modi, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan will also be present in the Mangarh Dham event.

BJP is also one of the main organisers of this event.

The event will affect around 99 Assembly seats (tribal majority) of these three states. Mangarh is a place where the borders of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan meet. The tribals of these states are revered by the people here.

Ahead of Modi's visit, Chief Minister Gehlot started talking about declaring Mangarh as a national monument. He has written two letters to the Prime Minister recently in this regard.

Located in Banswara district, Mangarh Dham is built on a hill. While one part of the hill falls under Gujarat, another is included in Rajasthan. In this hilly region, a tribal leader named Govind Guru had participated in the freedom movement against British rule.

In 1913, the British government surrounded him and his tribal companions on this dham and massacred 1500 tribals.

Mangarh Dham is built in his memory.