The Arunachal Pradesh government has submitted a list of 60 unsung heroes to the Centre, seeking recognition of their contribution to the country’s freedom struggle against the British Raj.

Chief minister Pema Khandu, while participating in the Janjati Gaurav Diwas to commemorate the 147th birth anniversary of freedom fighter Birsa Munda at Lekang in Namsai district on Tuesday, said the frontier state has had its share of freedom fighters but they were “not properly documented”.

He said a committee, headed by deputy chief minister Chowna Mein, has altogether documented the valour of 157 unsung heroes and submitted a list of 60 to the Centre till now for recognition of their role in the freedom movement.

“The list includes Matmur Jamoh, who had killed British officer Williamson at Komsing village while his followers killed Dr Gregorson at Pangi, both in East Siang district, on March 31, 1911. However, he died in obscurity and very few records are available about his last days at the Cellular Jail,” Khandu said.

Jamoh was from the Adi community which had fought wars with the Britishers — starting in 1858 at Kebang, in 1859 at Rongtan, in 1894 at Dambuk and in 1911 at Komsing.

“Not only the Adis in central Arunachal, the Idu Mishmis, Wanchos, Singphos and the Khamptis in the east and Akas in the west had also resisted the British and fought wars with them,” Khandu said.

Deputy chief minister Chowna Mein in his address said that the ensuing Statehood Day celebration will be dedicated to the unsung heroes in order to give them a befitting tribute. Arunachal Pradesh attained statehood on February 20, 1987.

Mein informed names of the unsung heroes have been uploaded in the portal of unsung heroes of the government of India, while a few more names are in the process of getting uploaded.

The Mein-headed Unsung Heroes Core Committee was constituted by the BJP-led state government in 2021 to carry out research on the contribution of individuals from the state in India’s freedom struggle.

With the support of Rajiv Gandhi University in the state, the committee has till now identified 15 unsung heroes, 100 freedom fighters and 64 martyrs from various communities.

In September, a six-member team from Rajiv Gandhi University also visited the UK to collect archival materials and documents from various institutes such as the British Library, The National Archives and the Royal Geographical Society as part of the ongoing research.

The trip was necessitated because most records on the frontier state (formerly known as erstwhile North Eastern Frontier Tracts) from 1792 to 1945 were available in the form of official proceedings, images, and tour diaries in various institutions of the United Kingdom.