In reporting the details of the heist, where Rs.5 crore worth of currency notes is alleged to have been stolen from the Salem-Chennai Express, and also comparing this incident with the Kakori conspiracy (“A curious link between Kakori and Chennai”, Aug.12), the media seems to have jumbled a few things. In the Kakori case, there were four people involved: Ashfaqullah Khan, Roshan Singh, Ram Prasad Bismil, and Rajendra Nath Lahiri, who is my grand-uncle. Chandrashekhar Azad was not present, though they were members of the Hindustan Republican Association. Lahiri was the first to be executed on November, 17, 1927, at Gonda jail in the erstwhile United Provinces. The plot was about gaining access to the Treasury and to wage war against Imperial Rule. I emphasise the fact that the money was not to be used for personal use. The media should respect the sentiments of the descendants of those who gave up their lives for the country.
Ronjon Lahiri,
New Delhi
