On the Third of January 1946, when the Union Jack was still unfurling over the Red Fort and the Kashmir issue had not even achieved its momentum, Dr. Shyamaprasad Mukharjee, had jotted down in his diary at around Six PM – “I have a keen wish that whenever my end would come nearer, I would want to be involved in  the struggle for the truth, till my last breath.”

In his wildest dreams, he wouldn’t have thought that destiny would  ‘grant him’ this wish of his and would turn it into a reality.

The British left Bharat and in independent Bharat, Mahatma Gandhi did not wish to form an all Congress Government. He wished to form a National Government and hence Dr. Shyamaprasad Mukharjee and many such non-Congress leaders got the ministerial berth on the insistence of Mahatma Gandhi.

Within six months of independence, Mahatma Gandhi expired and post his demise, Pandit Nehru did not have the temperament to take along the leaders from various ideological environments.

One by one, many of them resigned from the Government and formed their own political outfit. 

Dr. Mukharjee, in 1951 formed the Bharatiya Jan Sangh.

The Jammu-Kashmir annexation issue was at its peak by then. The Bharatiya Jansangh was formed as a political augmentation of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh – a body to strengthen the social fabric of the society, inculcating the patriotic values.

Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Godse from Hindu Mahasabha. The Government of Bharat imposed a  ban on the activity of RSS post Mahatma Gandhi’s death, along with Hindu Mahasabha and the then  SarSanghchalak Shraddhey Guru Golwalkar was imprisoned.

The RSS, though had ideological foundation of Nationalism and preserving the ethnic Hindu cultural identity, as its core, did not identify with Hindu Mahasabha on several issues and had no involvement as well as role in assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and hence, in absence of vital evidences, Guru Golwalkar ji was released from the prison in six months.

During this calamity, it became ostensible to create a presence in parliament, in order to raise a voice, against the imposition of  wrongful charges.

In meanwhile, Dr. Mukharjee, the former president of Hindu Mahasabha had a fall out with the conduct of the outfit and decided to create one of its own, to nurture the nationalist values.

Dr. Shyamaprasad Mukharjee met with Guru Golwalkar ji and with his help formed the Bharatiya Jan Sangh.

The RSS had already spread it’s  wings in Jammu-Kashmir in 1940. Balraj Madhok ji born and raised in Skardu, a town located in Gilgit – Baltistan region (now in POK) along with Madhavrao ji Mulay, a pracharak from Maharashtra working in Punjab and Pandit Premnath Dogra, the Vibhag Sanghchalak had established the RSS work in most of the regions of Kashmir.

In May 1952, Pandit Premnath Dogra met Dr. Mukherjee in the Western Court in Delhi. This meeting turned out to be immensely significant and Pandit Premnath Dogra, communicated in detail about the dispute related to Kashmir’s annexation,  nefarious plans to separate Kashmir from the rest of the nation and atrocities incurred by the National Conference.

While hearing the saga of Kashmir’s attempts to remain with Bharat and the uprightness of this Seventy year old man, solely to achieve national integrity, appealed to Dr. Mukherjee.

He consoled Pandit Premnath Dogra that he would stand in support. He did go to attend the Praja Parishad ‘s annual conference and on the way in Kathua remarked, “Either I would get the Bharatiya constitution for Jammu-Kashmir or will sacrifice my life.”

Now, after a year, on the 8th of May 1953, Dr. Mukherjee was going to Jammu-Kashmir to get them the Bharatiya constitution.

Before leaving for this salient voyage, he went to Kolkata to seek blessings of his mother, Shraddhey Yogmaya Devi. In Kolkata, he visited a Hindu maths and  charitable organisation, Bharat Sevashram Sangha.

It’s founder Swami Pranavanand had introduced him to politics. Somehow, the then head of the Math, Swami Sachchidanand felt some apprehension about his journey and repeatedly asked Dr. Mukherjee to not go to Jammu!!!

But, Dr. Mukharjee had already taken the call as he had promised the people of Jammu Kashmir.

Dr. Shyamaprasad Mukharjee began his journey for Jammu on the 8th March 1953 from Delhi. His first stop was in Ambala. On the way, each major – minor station was swarming with patriotic Bharatiya. As it was a passenger train,it would halt at each station and Dr. Mukharjee addressed the abounding crowd at Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur etc.

He was to address the public meeting in Ambala but the administration had imposed Section 144 and disallowed the permission for the public meeting. Immediately, the meeting was planned and set up at the Arya Samaj hall. 

Dr. Mukherjee sent two telegrams from Ambala. One was addressed to Pandit Nehru. He wrote to him – ” I have not applied for the permit for entry in Kashmir, in complete awareness, as anyone who does not concede with its Kashmir policy, be it the parliamentarian or the member of legislative assembly, he is denied the permission for permit, in a planned manner.”

And the second telegram was sent to Shaikh Abdullah – “I am going to Jammu without the permit. The purpose behind my visit is to assess the situation there and find out the peaceful solution. If it would be feasible, I would visit You, too.”

Travelling by road, Dr. Mukherjee reached Karnal, addressing the gathered public on the way. He reached Karnal by 8 pm and the proliferating mob of 10,000 was waiting to hear him.

He spent the night in Karnal and reached Panipat at 8 am to address the overflowing public meeting.  He conveyed to the escalating crowd – “Pandit Nehru had already handed over one third of Kashmir to Pakistan. I would like to ask him, what efforts has been put in by him to acquire these areas back? If no attempts have been made then why not? I have been getting information that the Government has been  contemplating the idea of gifting a part of Bharat to Pakistan!!!  I want to ask, Why? Is it just because the area has a higher population of Muslims?!!! If it is the sole reason, then how does the one who has divided the nation for Muslims, have the audacity to address the other as  communal?!!!

I do not wish to let an inch of land of Bharat, go in the hands of the foreigner.

He headed towards Fagwada from Panipat. Thousands of people had gathered at the station to give him farewell.

He addressed a public meeting on reaching Fagwada. While he was addressing the meeting, he received a telegram from Shaikh Abdullah. He had flatly refused to entertain him and asked him not to come to the state at this hour!!!

It was inevitable that History was repeating itself. Six years ago, Pandit Nehru had  come to Jammu Kashmir and the then Maharaja had banned his entry. Prime minister Ramchandra Kak, the then Prime minister of the state of Jammu Kashmir had sent a telegram to Pandit Nehru to prohibit his entry. The nation was under British rule then, but now in independent and Republican Bharat, every citizen had the right to travel to any place that he wished.

The next day, by mid – morning, Dr. Mukherjee reached Jalandhar. He addressed the press and conveyed to his friends from the media that it was an incorrect decision by Pandit Nehru,  to take the Kashmir issue to the United Nations and agree for a Plebiscite. It was the dispute of a state under the Bharatiya constitution and its complications  should have been solved internally. 

He specifically condemned the move – “To turn this issue into an international subject has been an immensely immature move.”

He also sent a telegram to Pandit Nehru and told him – “I am a member of the Bharatiya parliament which includes Kashmir also. It is the duty of each and every Member of Parliament that he should move to any part of the country to study the situation there.”

While travelling by train to Amritsar from Jalandhar,  he met a gentleman, onboard. He introduced himself as the magistrate of Gurudaspur. He informed Dr. Mukherjee that the Government of Punjab had taken a call to forbid You from going to Pathankot. He added that he was waiting for the instructions from his Government, regarding  arresting him.

The massive mob of around twenty thousand had  gathered at the Amritsar railway station. At night, the meeting with Jan Sangh karyakartas had been arranged at the Arya Samaj hall. He spent the night there and started for Pathankot, the next day, early morning.

The deputy commissioner of Gurudaspur district, met Dr. Mukherjee in Pathankot and informed him, – “I have been given instructions to let You travel to Jammu without the permit. I will meet You at the Madhopur bridge on river Ravi at 4 pm.”

It was now evident that Dr. Mukherjee’s entry in Jammu would not be proscribed.

Immediately, a Jeep was arranged which could take him to Jammu. The permit for the driver was essential to enter. In such mysterious circumstances, Dr. Mukharjee began his final voyage along with his colleagues from Bharatiya Jan Sangh. 

Quoting Pradhan Vaidya Guru Dutt, who had accompanied him – “The deputy Commissioner of Gurudaspur, the resident magistrate of Batala, Gurudaspur and Pathankot as well as other officers, all were present in huge numbers. We parked our Jeep right there and asked the deputy commissioner for a permission for the Jeep. He asked us to proceed towards the Lakhampur post, which was on the other side of the bridge and promised that he would send the permit there. 

He wished us all the luck for the journey.” The sinister plan of the Government had already been operational and they never reached the other end to the Lakhampur post!!!