Junagadh marks Liberation Day as calls continue for an Aarzi Hukumat memorial

Junagadh observed its Liberation Day on 9 November, marking the date in 1947 when the city became part of independent India. The Aarzi Hukumat movement, led by Shamladas Gandhi, campaigned for Junagadh’s integration with India after its ruler’s administration announced accession to Pakistan. The flag of India was raised at Uparkot Fort on 9 November 1947.

A groundbreaking ceremony for a permanent Aarzi Hukumat memorial was held at Bahuddin College in 1997. No permanent memorial had been built by 9 November 2026. Residents who witnessed the liberation struggle renewed their demand for a memorial and for the history of the movement to be documented there.

Notable Points

• Samaldas Gandhi and the Aarzi Hukumat: Samaldas Gandhi was deputy editor and later editor of the Gujarati evening newspaper Janmabhoomi from 1937 to 1940. He later started the Gujarati daily Vande Mataram. The Aarzi Hukumat was declared in Bombay in September 1947, with Gandhi as its prime minister and foreign affairs minister. A biographical account records that it captured 160 villages between 30 September and 8 November.