President Draupadi Murmu met tribal community leaders and families of freedom fighters at PG College Ground, Ambikapur in Surguja district of Chhattisgarh. President Murmu interacted with the senior tribal leaders, leaders of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), individuals who have made exceptional contributions to tribal upliftment, and families of tribal freedom fighters. She also posed for group photographs with them as a gesture of warmth and respect.

 

During the programme, President Murmu interacted with the senior tribal leaders, leaders of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), individuals who have made exceptional contributions to tribal upliftment, and families of tribal freedom fighters. She also posed for group photographs with them as a gesture of warmth and respect. President Murmu honoured the families of tribal heroes and freedom fighters who contributed significantly to India’s independence movement.

 

She interacted with the relatives of the legendary Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh of the Sonakhan rebellion, his commander; the hero of the Palkot uprising, Shaheed Gend Singh; the Jhanda Satyagraha leader Shri Sukhdev Pater; Bhumkal rebellion hero Bantu Dhurwa; and Jungle Satyagraha martyr Ramdheen Gond, along with the families of freedom fighters Rajnath Bhagat and Majhi Ram Gond.

 

She also met members of PVTG and other tribal communities. One of the most heartfelt moments of the programme came when President Draupadi Murmu met Basant Pando of the Pando tribe. She enquired about his well-being and felicitated him with a shawl. During the interaction, Basant Pando recounted a cherished memory from 1952, when India’s first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, visited Ambikapur.

 

He shared that he was merely eight years old when Dr Prasad lovingly adopted him and did his ‘Naamkaran’. Following this, the Pando tribe came to be known as ‘Rashtrapati Ke Dattak Putr’ (adopted sons of the President). President Murmu warmly told him, “You are like a son to me as well.”