AMRITSAR: Two plaques inscribed, with names of 21 Sikh soldiers, in Punjabi and Urdu were on Monday installed at the small memorial built by the British soldiers on Saragarhi hill, at Hangu, close to the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan , in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The names of all the 21 Sikh soldiers were engraved on the memorial in English by the British.New York-based Saragarhi Foundation also began work to develop a garden in the area surrounding the memorial, situated close to the Lockhart Fort. The Saragarhi hill, where the battle was fought, is about 41 km from Hangu village.Gurinderpal Singh Josan, president of the Saragarhi Foundation, told TOI on Monday that a simple ceremony was held at the site of the memorial. The two plaques were installed by the representatives of the foundation — Sunny Singh Khalsa, who is Hangu-based chairman of the Gurdwara Singh Sabha, and some local residents.The Battle of Saragarhi was fought on September 12, 1897 by a small platoon of 36th Sikh Regiment of British Indian Army’s Bengal Infantry, led by Havildar Ishar Singh, against some 10,000 Pashtuns of Orakazai tribe near Samana Ridge, which is now in Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The soldiers fought for 6 hours and 45 minutes before all 21 fell rather than surrender.“Now, the descendants of those fighters are working as labourers in developing the garden and other works,” said Josan.The gurdwara, which is being built in Hangu, will be named ‘Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Saragarhi Shaheedan Di Yaad Vich.’The present memorial was built on the backside of the Lockhart Fort and was not exactly at the post where the Sikh soldiers had fought, Josan said.“A delegation of US-based Sanjha Punjab was scheduled to visit Saragarhi in February to lay foundation stone of construction of a new memorial at the post but it was postponed due to strained Indo-Pak relationship. We will now be visiting Saragarhi in May and begin construction of the memorial at the post where the Sikh soldiers had fought against the Pashtuns,” he said.Sunny Singh told TOI that ardas was held before installing the plaques and the function was attended by people of all faiths — Hindu, Sikh, Christian and Muslim. Langar (community meal) was served after the event. “Everyone has assured us to extend every possible help and contribution for the maintenance of the memorial or even for erecting a gurdwara,” Sunny explained.

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