A large number of people paid a floral tribute to the giant statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on the occasion of the Indian National Army's (INA) 69th flag hoisting day at INA memorial complex in Moirang town of Manipur's Bishnupur district on Saturday.
On April 14, 1944, the INA/Azad Hind Fauz flag was unfurled for the first time at Moirang on the banks of Loktak lake by Colonel Saukat Hayat Malik, commander of Bahadur Group of the force, and designated the place as its headquarters.
During World War II, Japanese troop commanders and their allies chalked out battle strategies against allied forces from this place. Manipur had witnessed pitched battles, resulting in killing and maiming of thousands of soldiers of both the forces.
Though Netaji could not reach Manipur because of strategic battle difficulties, he was reportedly camping in a south east Asian country when the US bombed Herosima and Nagasakhi.
Jointly organized by Manipur art and culture department and INA advisory committee, Saturday's occasion was also marked by the unfurling of the Tricolor, a public rally and staging of a spectrum of cultural shows.
A public rally was taken out from the INA headquarters at Moirang Konjengbam Leikai village up to the INA Memorial Complex where participants raised patriotic slogans. Around 200 members of Akhil Bharatiya Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad (ABPSSP) also participated in it.
Students of Beyanai College, Jaipur, and ECHO Moirang enthralled the gathering with colourful cultural performances. Art and culture director K Sobita Devi and hordes of personalities, including ex-MLA S Gopal, vice-president of ABPSSP Maj Gen (Retd) N N Gupta and national secretary of ABPSSP, Om Prakash, addressed the gathering on the occasion.
Moirang constituency MLA M Prithiviraj, chief guest on the occasion, while emphasizing the need to enhance development of the INA complex, informed the tourism ministry has approved sanction of Rs 27 crore for renovation and development of the complex and its surrounding areas.
Of this, Rs 12.37 has already been released and utilized for ground development works of the complex, he said.
A week ahead of Netaji's 114th birthday (January 23, 2011) UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had laid the foundation stone of additional beautification structures of the INA complex.
Stressing the significance of the historic event, the young legislature pointed out the need to incorporate it in the school curriculum.
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