160 Bhagat Singh files lie in oblivion in Lahore

CHANDIGARH: Even more than eight decades after Bhagat Singh and
his comrades' martyrdom, an important bunch of files related to their
trial in the Lahore Conspiracy Case are lying in oblivion in Lahore
.
More than 160 files titled 'Crown vs Sukh Dev, Lahore Conspiracy Case
1929-1931' are lying behind closed lockers in the Punjab Archives in
Lahore, Pakistan. According to sources, no international scholar on
Bhagat Singh so far has been allowed to access them.

Amarjit Chandan, London-based poet and independent researcher on
Bhagat Singh, who has tried to access those files numerous times in
the past said that these files are of immense historical importance as
they are from a special tribunal, which was formed for Bhagat Singh
and his comrades' trial. "I myself went to the Lahore Archives and
there are many academics who have tried to access the files. I was
shown just one file and my request was turned down to take a copy of
the catalogue of the collection," he said.
"Nobody had any knowledge of the papers until I went there and found
out in December 2010 about these files. A high official there showed
me one or two files, including the catalogue after much persuasion, but
did not allow me to take copy or photograph the catalogue at least,"
said Chandan.
Chandan also approached Tahir Kamran, Allama Iqbal Visiting
Professor, Centre of South Asian Studies Cambridge University. "He
promised to get a copy of the catalogue, but the officials are now
being difficult with him too," he said. Following that Chanadan also
approached a few politicians and a senior civil servant in Lahore but of
no avail.
Many years ago, Prof Harish Puri, a political scientist who has written
several books on India's freedom struggle, also sought permission to
see them. "They denied me permission to even go through the index,"
he says. Even as he did not want to speculate about the content, he
said that it could have documents related to evidence in the case as
that was not transferred here.

Chandan said it was very important that the government of India
intervened in this matter. "The task of getting copies from the Lahore
Archives will have to be taken up by the government of India at the
highest level," he said.
"A comprehensive inventory of Bhagat Singh's records at Archives
would be a benefit not just to academics but also to enthusiasts and
local historians in Lahore, where there is a growing interest in the city's
historic relationship with revolutionary politics," says Christopher
Moffat, who has just done a PhD on the revolutionary at Cambridge
University.
Bhagat Singh's nephew, Prof Jagmohan too feels that while Pakistani
authorities has been denying the files calling them 'sensitive', the
documents must be brought into public domain.