Our ancestors chose to be beheaded than being converted during Partition: Haryana CM

He was speaking in Kurukshetra at the State-level programme organized to observe ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar , in Delhi . Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma / The Hindu | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said at the time of the country’s Partition our ancestors chose to be beheaded rather than be converted and these stories needed to be narrated to the coming generations.

He was speaking in Kurukshetra at the State-level programme organised to observe ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’.

“On this day in the year 1947, the process of India’s Independence was going on, while on the other hand, the Partition of the country took place. Post-Independence literature is full of tragic stories of Partition,” said Mr. Khattar.

Recalling the period of the Partition, the Chief Minister said “Our ancestors chose to be beheaded rather than being converted. Now it is our responsibility to narrate these stories to the coming generations to ensure that they have information about the struggle and sacrifice of their ancestors.”

Living with dignity

“During the Partition when the families came to India, they had no food, shelter, and clothes, but they did not beg and worked hard to become independent. With their hard work they made the barren land fertile,” he said, adding that the State government is considering giving some rights to those cultivating fertile land.

Mr. Khattar said that scores of families displaced from Pakistan who are presently residing in the State are proof that Haryana has experienced the pain of the Partition a little more than others. The Chief Minister said that he grew up in such families displaced from Pakistan and very well understands the trauma and the pain of Partition. He said that the pain of the Partition of the country can never be forgotten.

“A grateful nation, while celebrating Independence, also salutes those sons and daughters of the motherland who had to sacrifice their lives in the violence. This day will inspire us to remove the poison of social divisions and disharmony and to strengthen the spirit of unity, social harmony, and human empowerment. Through Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, the present generation and the coming generations will always be inspired to remember those who suffered great pain and sacrificed their lives during the Partition,” Mr. Khattar.