PRIME Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Marseille in southern France and paid homage to the memory of freedom fighter V D Savarkar, who attempted a “courageous escape” at the port city. “Landed in Marseille. In India’s quest for freedom, this city holds special significance. It was here that the great Veer Savarkar attempted a courageous escape,” Modi said in a post on X after arriving there Tuesday night (local time). He added, “I also want to thank the people of Marseille and the French activists of that time who demanded that he not be handed over to British custody. The bravery of Veer Savarkar continues to inspire generations!” The Prime Minister received a warm welcome from the Indian diaspora upon his arrival in Marseille.

 

The city of Marseille holds a special place in India’s freedom struggle, as it was here that Veer Savarkar, one of India’s freedom fighters, made a brave attempt to escape British custody. According to the Government website, amrit mahotsav.nic.in, “ Veer Savarkar was arrested in London in 1910 in connection with the Nasik Conspiracy Case. When he was being taken by ship to India for trial, off Marseilles, Savarkar jumped into the sea and swam to the French coast, braving the firing from the ship.” “He was arrested at Marseilles by the British Police. The French Government protested against this arrest on French soil to the Hague International Court.

 

This brought Veer Savarkar and other Indian freedom fighters to prominence throughout the world,” the website added. Later in the day, Prime Minister Modi visited the historic Mazargues Cemetery in Marseille city here along with French President and paid tribute to the Indian soldiers who made sacrifices fighting in the Great War. At a solemn ceremony held at the site, Modi laid a wreath composed of tricolour-themed flowers and Macron also laid a wreath. Paying homage to the soldiers who laid down their lives fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with their French counterparts during World War I, Modi paid tribute with folded hands and a gentle bow at the iconic site that also has an ‘Indian Memorial’. A band played on the lawns enhancing the solemnity of the occasion.

 

Later, the two leaders took a walk on the premises of the cemetery and laid roses on memorial tablets installed on a wall inside a stone pavilion at the historic cemetery. A large number of Indian soldiers are commemorated in this war cemetery that is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). According to the website of the CWGC, “There are now 1,487, 1914-18 and 267, 1939-45 war casualties commemorated in this site. 205 of the Indian casualties, who were cremated, are commemorated on a memorial at the rear of the cemetery.” The Mazargues Indian Memorial was unveiled by Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood in July 1925.