Bhagat Singh statue unveiled
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta unveiled a statue of Bhagat Singh and inaugurated a restored 'Historic Courtroom' at the Registrar Cooperative Society office on Parliament Street on Shaheed Diwas. Historians applauded the symbolism but urged broader preservation—critics point out Bhagat Singh’s alleged secret hideout in Punjab is now a grocery godown. (aninews.in) (newkerala.com) (indianexpress.com)
The Ferozepur hideout in Turi Bazar — identified as Bhagat Singh’s secret headquarters used from August 10, 1928, to February 9, 1929 — is a double‑storey, 1,150 sq ft building that Indian Express reports is currently being used as a grocery godown. (indianexpress.com) Punjab’s tourism and cultural affairs department declared the Ferozepur building a protected monument on December 17, 2015, but Indian Express says no restoration or government acquisition has taken place in the more-than-10-years since that notification. (indianexpress.com) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann wrote to the British deputy high commissioner on January 9, 2026 requesting access to original trial proceedings, audio‑visual records and archival documentation of Bhagat Singh’s trial reportedly held in Scotland. (newindianexpress.com) Historian Rakesh Kumar, author of Secret Hideout, told Indian Express that letters seeking archives are inadequate and publicly questioned what concrete steps have been taken to restore or acquire the Ferozepur hideout. (indianexpress.com) Activists from the Naujawan Bharat Sabha have repeatedly tried to vacate commercial tenants and press for a museum and library at the hideout; Times of India documented an eviction-style action by NBS activists on March 24, 2024 to clear ground‑floor shops. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Local coverage notes the property remains in private hands with shops on the ground floor and a religious/social organisation in possession, a condition cited by historians as evidence that commemorative acts in other cities must be matched by formal conservation, acquisition and public‑access plans for sites in Punjab. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
