EMN
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 2
On the title of `Freedom fighter’ given to Rani Gaidinliu the state government has clarified that the tag of ‘National Freedom Fighter’ given to any citizen of India is decided by the Government of India and not by any State Government.
This clarification note of the state government has come amid various news items questioning on the title of ‘Freedom fighter’ given to Rani Gaidinliu. The note said that in the case of Rani Gaidinliu, “it may be mentioned that she had risen against the British rule in the late 1920s, before the States of Nagaland and Manipur were formed.” She was arrested in 1932 at Poilwa in present Peren district of Nagaland, and sentenced to life imprisonment by the British political agent J.C. Higgins the next year. She was incarcerated for 14 years in Gauhati Jail (1933-34), Shillong Jail (1934-39), Aizawl Jail (1940-42) and Tura Jail (1943-47). She was closely associated with the Mahatma, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and a host of other Indian national personalities throughout her life. According to the press note, long considered as a prominent Indian freedom fighter, she was officially honoured as a freedom fighter when she was awarded the Tamra Patra by the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi on August 15, 1972. In 1982, she was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in the country for distinguished services of the highest order to the nation. Also, in recognition of her contributions to the freedom struggle of India, the State Government of Nagaland vide Home Department’s Order No. SAB-1 1/1/84(Pol-II) dated 15th November, 1989 permanently allotted her Quarter No. AF/69-V, which she was officially occupying since 1966. In 1991, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, instituted an Award by the name Stree Shakti Purushkar (Women Power Award) which is a series of India’s national honours conferred on individual women for their exceptional achievements, it added. The award is named after eminent women in Indian history and is given in the following categories: a. Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award b. Kannagi Award c. Mata Jijabai Award d. Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award e. Rani Laksmi Bai Award f. Rani Rudramma Devi Award
It then said the Award is conferred by the President of India on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8 every year at New Delhi. The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 3.00 lakhs and a citation. For the year 2012, the award was posthumously bestowed on the 2012 Delhi gangrape victim, Ms. Nirbhaya. In 1996, the Government of India issued a postal stamp bearing her picture, the press note stated.
“It is hoped that all doubts regarding the freedom fighter status of Rani Gaidinliu are cleared,” it added.
