Mann requested audio/video recordings of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev's trial from Scotland. (Source: X/ @BhagwantMann)
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has requested that the original audio and video recordings and archival documents related to the trial proceedings of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev, currently preserved in a Scottish museum, be handed over to Punjab.
In a January 9 letter to the British deputy high commissioner in Chandigarh, Alba Smeriglio, Mann wrote that “these records hold profound historical and emotional significance for the people of Punjab, as well as for global scholars of history and human rights”.
Mann wrote, “It is learnt that original audio/video recordings and archival documentation pertaining to the trial proceedings of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar, and Shaheed Shivaram Hari Rajguru are presently held by concerned authorities in Scotland, reportedly preserved within a museum/institution maintaining historical legal archives of that era.”
“The Government of Punjab seeks access to these archival materials for academic study, digital preservation, and public exhibition at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Heritage Complex, Khatkar Kalan, District Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Punjab, India. I shall be grateful if the matter is kindly taken up with the concerned authorities in Scotland for facilitating provision of the said archival material, or guidance on the requisite formal procedure to obtain copies for preservation and display,” he added in the letter.
Mann said the tourism department would be available for coordination, clarification, or procedural documentation in this regard, with Abhinav Trikha, the secretary in the department, designated to oversee the responsibilities.
The chief minister said this would be remembered as a significant step towards honouring shared history and the universal ideals of justice, sacrifice, and human dignity.
Sources said the Punjab Government had received information that video and audio recordings of the trials existed in Scotland.
Earlier, in December 2025, Mann sought the support of the United Kingdom’s legal fraternity to procure a rare piece of video footage of Bhagat Singh for the Government. Interacting with a delegation of the Bar Council of England and Wales at his residence on December 18, Mann said that no video record of the legendary freedom fighter was available in India. He had stated that it had been learnt that Scotland Yard might possess rare footage of Bhagat Singh, particularly from the time of his arrest and trial.
Curated by Shiv Shakti Mishra
