On the occasion of Independence Day on Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a stop at the Alipore Central Correctional Home here to pay tribute to freedom fighters who had been incarcerated within its walls during the freedom struggle.
“While coming this way, she expressed a desire to visit the prison and the place where Khudiram Bose had been hanged. She wanted to pay tribute to Khudiram Bose, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Bidhan Chandra Roy, who were imprisoned here,” Mayor Shovan Chatterjee, who accompanied her, told journalists.
Ms. Banerjee went round the premises including the cells in which the famous freedom fighters had been incarcerated.
She met some of the inmates and asked that sweets be distributed among them and jail employees, Mr. Chatterjee added.
Earlier, Ms. Banerjee hoisted the national flag at the Secretariat — for the first time as Chief Minister. Amid high security, she inspected a guard of honour.
Development challenge
On the occasion, Governor M. K. Narayanan said ensuring development in the country was of primary importance and that the issues of corruption and terrorism could be dealt with separately.
“I think the biggest challenge is development — to ensure that the poor rise above the poverty line and that most people get food, education and health. I think terrorism and corruption are matters we can be dealt with separately.”
Mr. Narayanan paid floral tributes to the statue of the Father of the Nation, and later visited the Gandhi ghat at Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district. He was seen spinning the charkha there.
