NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed Kerala-born Sankaran Nair for his legal battle he fought against the British Empire after the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre that took the lives of over 1000.
Hailing Nair for his endeavour to seek justice for the civilians killed on orders of British general Reginald Dyer, PM Modi said every child in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal should know about him.
“We must learn about the contributions of Sankaran Nair from Kerala. Every child in Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal should know about him,” PM Modi said while addressing a gathering in Haryana’s Yamuna Nagar.
PM Modi’s appeal comes when a movie, “Kesari 2”, based on Sanakaran’s legal battle against the Crown, is set to be released on April 18.
Who was Sankaran Nair?
Chettur Sankaran Nair (11 July 1857 – 24 April 1934) was a distinguished Indian lawyer, judge, and statesman who played a pivotal role in India’s struggle for independence.
Born in Mankara, Palakkad district of present-day Kerala, he pursued his education in law at Madras Law College, embarking on a legal career that would see him ascend to some of the highest judicial and political positions available to Indians under British rule.
As the sole Indian member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council, Nair resigned in 1919 to protest the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, marking a significant moment in India’s freedom struggle.
What happened in Jallianwala Bagh
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred on April 13, 1919, in Amritsar, Punjab, when British troops under Brigadier General Reginald Dyer opened fire on a peaceful gathering of thousands of unarmed Indians protesting against the Rowlatt Act. The troops blocked the only exit and fired for about ten minutes, killing over 1,000 people and injuring many more.
The massacre, which took place on the festival of Baisakhi, shocked the nation, leading to widespread outrage, the resignation of key Indian figures from British honors (like Rabindranath Tagore), and a significant boost to the Indian independence movement. It remains one of the darkest chapters in colonial history and is commemorated at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial in Amritsar.
