The son of soil, Shaheed Bhagat Amarnath was born on 1928 at village Champa near Batote Tehsil/Disstt. Ramban in a megh family. after completing his school education, he dedicated and devoted himself for social cause exclusively for downtroddens. Since from his childhood, he was deeply and highly concerned towards the worst plight of the opressed and exploited people denied human rights.He was very much committed and determined to sacrifice his life for the persecuted, victimised, discriminated, deprived, supressed, oppressed, exploited and neglected downtrodden masses.
In order to upliftment and emancipation of the depressed classes, he came to Jammu with an explicit motive, aim and objective to secure justice for dalit samaj.
He came into contact with some Jammu based so called Dalit leaders i.e Babu Parmanand, Babu Milkhi Ram, Bhagat chajju ram, Pashori lal and Mahasa Nar Singh. During 1970 there was a great resentment among dalit samaj for denial of reservation right by unjust and hostile state government. Despite of implementation of reservation for S/C in Central Deptt by Baba Sahib Dr. B. R Ambedkar in capacity of 1st Law Minister of India, the state govt was still reluctant to implement it in the state.Shaheed Bhagat Amar nath took very serious and comprehensive note of the malafide intention of the state govt and intensified his non stop agitation in the entire Jammu province by leading many processions, demonstrations, public meetings for the expeditious redressel of core issue of reservation. though an ultimatum and deadline was given to state govt to take drastic and extreme step of fast unto death yet hostile and callous attitude of state govt remained adamant. consequently Dalit leadership decided to go on fast unto death to concede the major demand of reservation implementation along with certain core issues.
Shaheed Bhagat Amarnath voluntarily offered himself for the supreme sacrifice and resolved to observe silence and subsequently sat on fast unto death . On 21-05-1970 in Karan park in front of civil secretariat.His health condition deterorate despite efforts by prominent physician of that time Dr. Manhas because Bhagat sahib refused to take any medical treatment and son of the soil Bhagat Amarnath achieved martyrdoom on ist june 1970 and became " Martyr of Reservation". with his supreme sacrifice the reservation was implemented and in this way he wrote the chapter of reservation with his sacrifice. The dalit leadership mentioned above indulged in dirty politics over his dead body and started bargaining for the power postions from the congress. The corrupt and currupt leadership further went extreme and hatched a conspiracy to eliminate the entire family of Shaheed Bhagat Amarnath.The open deception did not end here.The disloyal leaders further indulged in character assassination of Shaheed Bhagat Amarnath with a malafide intention to deprive the widow of Shaheed Amarnath from family pension by planting another lady impersonating his wife.
Shaheed Bhagat Amarnath was an emancipator, great revoluntionary, socialist and champion of dalit samaj. He was a political personality with a spotless image. He is no doubt a hero of reservationas well as Martyr of social justice but sorry state of affairs are that he remained unsung and unforgotten by most cunning, deceptive, diloyal, selfih power oriented dalit stooges of the community. lest we forget, Mini Ambedkar of j&k Shaheed Bhagat Amarnath.
SOURCE :
CHANCHALA BHAGAT D/O LATE SH. SHAHEED BHAGAT AMARNATH,J&K— with Anu Bhagat and Dinesh Bhagat.
