Trust members in Shivamogga have urged Union Minister V. Somanna to rename Sagara Jambagaru railway station after Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, citing his arrest there in 1951 during the Kagodu Satyagraha.
Members of the Shantaveri Gopala Gowda Samajawadi Adhyayana Kendra Trust on Monday submitted a memorandum to Union Minister V Somanna during his visit to Shivamogga, seeking to rename Sagara Jambagaru railway station after socialist leader Dr Ram Manohar Lohia. The trust members urged the minister to intervene and expedite the process, citing Dr Lohia’s historical connection with the region and his participation in the Kagodu Satyagraha. They said the demand had been raised several times over the years, but the renaming process had yet to make progress.
Dr Lohia Was Arrested at Sagara Jambagaru Railway Station
On the night of June 13, 1951, police arrested Dr Ram Manohar Lohia at Sagara Jambagaru railway station in Sagara taluk of Shivamogga district. He was participating in the Kagodu Satyagraha at the time.
The demand to rename the railway station after Dr Lohia was first raised by leaders during an event marking the golden jubilee of his arrest, commemorating 50 years since the incident.
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Earlier Efforts to Rename the Railway Station
Leaders associated with the Kagodu movement had earlier travelled to New Delhi under the leadership of freedom fighter Dr Ganapathi to pursue the renaming demand. They met then Union Minister Srinivas Prasad and submitted a request to name the station after Dr Lohia.
Srinivas Prasad reportedly responded positively and forwarded the appeal to then Union Home Minister L.K. Advani. In 2020, Advani wrote to the Karnataka government regarding the proposal, asking it to submit a recommendation in accordance with the Union Home Ministry’s five-point guidelines.
State Government Had Recommended Renaming in 2001
The Karnataka government had written to the Central government in 2001, recommending that Sagara Jambagaru railway station be renamed after Dr Ram Manohar Lohia. However, according to the trust members, the Centre has yet to initiate the renaming process.
In view of the delay, the trust urged Somanna to take up the matter with the concerned authorities and help expedite the renaming of the station to Dr Ram Manohar Lohia railway station.
Trust managing trustee Kallur Megharaj, along with Shivananda Kugwe, Jinesh Kumar, Ramesh Iginabailu, Aleem Khan, Shankra Naik, Sandhya Ragigudda, S.P. Shivanna, Kannan, L. Adisesha and others, was present on the occasion.
