Former Union Minister's poster left abandoned in DSA; "Kept it safely," Babul Hore

Wrapped in dust and sheer ignorance, a muddy poster of former Union Minister Santosh Mohan Dev was snapped inside the premises of District Sports Association, Silchar. The abandoned poster is not just an ordinary image of the late minister, a Congress stalwart. This poster holds historical value too.

After his death, on August 2, 2017, his mortal remains were kept in SM Dev Memorial Stadium for a while. Thousands of sports enthusiasts paid homage to the late minister in the stadium. This poster was at the backdrop. It consists of lines from Rabindranath Tagore’s song, “Jokhon Porbe Na Mor Payer…”.

In the poster, along with a smiling face of the former minister, “তখন কে বলে গো সেই প্রভাতে নেই আমি। সকল খেলায় করবে খেলা এই আমি.” This translates to, “Who is not sure, dear, to find me on the morning. It is me, who would take part in each game.”

President of Silchar DSA, Babul Hore said they have taken corrective measures immediately after noticing it. “This poster was kept inside in a room. Construction work is going on and that is why, it was kept outside. We took steps to keep it safely even before the image got circulated,” said the president of the association.

The image was clicked by a Silchar resident during the Jookto media cricket fest that took place between January 20 and January 24. According to the person who clicked the image, it was kept near a drum that was being used as a trash can. The president, however, said that it was kept there just a few days back and they have already removed it.

Mahila Congress president, Sushmita Dev said she has also seen the picture and spoke with the association about the same. “I told them about it, they have apologised,” said Dev while speaking with Barak Bulletin.

She added, “Santosh Mohan Dev is a people’s leader and he will remain so, no matter what. He was loved and revered.”