Honouring a Hero: HP Speaker Remembers Wazir Ram Singh Pathania on His 176th Martyrdom Day

Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Tuesday paid floral tribute to freedom fighter Wazir Ram Singh Pathania at his birthplace in Bassa-Waziriyan, Nurpur, on the occasion of his 176th martyrdom day, celebrated as Veer Diwas.

Wazir Ram Singh Pathania, regarded as one of India’s earliest freedom fighters, led an armed rebellion against British rule in 1846. He sacrificed his life in 1849 at the age of 24 while imprisoned in Rangoon Jail. Each year, the memorial committee, established by his family, observes his martyrdom day as Veer Diwas to honor his courage and patriotism.

Presiding over the event, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania laid a floral wreath on the martyr’s memorial and urged the youth to draw inspiration from Ram Singh Pathania’s life, steering clear of social evils such as drug abuse. He said the martyr’s armed struggle (1846–1849) laid the foundation for India’s broader freedom movement.

“Wazir Ram Singh Pathania is not just a symbol of a dynasty or a region — he is an eternal legacy of the entire nation,” the Speaker said.
“Even before the First War of Independence in 1857, he had sounded the bugle of revolt against British rule in 1846.”

Pathania added that the state government would take concrete steps to officially recognize Wazir Ram Singh Pathania as India’s first freedom fighter. He announced that from next year onward, the government would organize Veer Diwas as a state-level event and ensure that the heroic story of the martyr’s bravery and patriotism reaches the younger generation.

The ceremony was attended by Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, Fatehpur MLA Bhawani Pathania, Nurpur MLA Ranbir Nikka, and former minister Rakesh Pathania, all of whom paid their tributes to the great freedom fighter.