Cops to visit Vasant's home on July 1

Ahmedabad: The city crime branch couldn't arrange much to celebrate a year of building the Bandhutva Smarak in honour of Vasant-Rajab, and have planned to mark the day by a visit to Vasant's home in Lal Darwaza. The smarak, built in the city crime branch campus, is the brainchild of then DCP crime branch and current SP, ATS, Himanshu Shukla. Gujarat chief minister, Anandiben Patel, had inaugurated the Bandhutva Smarak on July 1, 2015 amidst much fanfare.
While pitching for the smarak, Shukla had emphasized that building a memorial for Vasant and Rajab was the best way to build confidence and trust among Walled City residents.
Crime branch officials claim they were unable to organize a function to mark the first anniversary of the three-storied smarak built in the historic watchtower of Gaekwad Haveli, as they are busy preparing for Rath Yatra on July 7. "However, we have ensured that a football ground, synthetic lawn tennis and badminton court, and a cricket pitch comes up beside the smarak in the names of the icons of peace and brotherhood," said Deepan Bhadran, DCP, crime branch.
Bhadran added that ONGC has expressed readiness to contribute Rs15 lakh towards the costs of creating the sports complex, meant especially for the Walled City children, who lack such facilities. Crime branch officials said they have tied up with the traffic education trust run at Sardar baugh at Lal Darwaza, and children from 48 schools have visited the Vasant- Rajab Smarak. "Over last ten days, at least 2,500 children have visited the memorial," said a crime branch official.
However on Thursday, a day before the first anniversary the memorial was locked from outside for the purpose of cleaning. "We are preparing the memorial for the first anniversary of Bandhutva Samarak and hence it was closed during late afternoon hours" added Bhadran.
Vasant Rao Hegisthe and Rajabali Lakhani, popularly referred together as Vasant-Rajab, remain everlasting icons of friendship and communal harmony in the annals of the state. They had lain down their lives while pacifying a rioting mob at Khand ni Sheri in Jamalpur on July 1, 1946 during Rath Yatra days.