MORJIM: Agarvaddo Panchayat under the nationwide campaign, ‘Meri Maati – Mera Desh’ installed a commemorative plaque to honour the freedom fighters. However, exclusion of Jagannath Arjun Chopdekar’s name from the plaque has sparked a controversy and led to disappointment within the community.
The plaque, unveiled by the Sarpanch has names of seven freedom fighters inscribed on it, Uttam Manik Chopdekar, Sonu Ramchandra Damaji, Pandhari Krushna Gaonkar, Babi Vithu Kole, Khemraj Dharma Gaonkar, Tukaram Sadashiv Hanjunkar, and Sonu Arjun Chopdekar. However, the name of Jagannath Arjun Chopdekar was inadvertently excluded from the memorial stone. It’s worth noting that the government honoured the late freedom fighter by naming the Government High School in Agarwada after him. But this commendable recognition has not translated to his inclusion on the memorial plaque.
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Further inquiry revealed that the panchayat had received the names from the Directorate of Accounts, which exclusively lists freedom fighters who have received or are beneficiaries of pensions. Late Jagannath Chopdekar, despite being recognized as a martyr in the Goa Liberation movement within governmental records, did not find a mention due to his decision to forego his pension. This poignant absence is a result of the Directorate’s limitations in documenting non-pensioned freedom fighters.
Ironically, the Government High School at Agarwada was named after Jagannath Chopdekar by the Directorate of Education upon the panchayat’s approval which excluded the name from inscribed on the memorial plaque.
