Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for a Rs. 5-crore project to transform Sootea police station—where the Indian tricolour was first hoisted on a government building during the Quit India Movement in 1942—into a major tourist attraction.
On this day in 1942, freedom fighters in Sootea raised the national flag at the police station in response to the call to hoist the tricolour on all police stations on September 20, Sarma said.
Calling it a defining moment in India’s freedom struggle, the chief minister noted, “The hoisting of the flag underscored the courage of smaller towns like Sootea in shaping the country’s independence movement.”
The day is commemorated as Sootea Divas, which Sarma described as “a reminder that collective courage and silent resolve can challenge years of oppression.”
He said celebrating the event strengthens the state’s heritage and inspires future generations to honour those who fought for Independence.
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The chief minister also announced state support for a film documenting the historic incident, which has been recorded by historians such as Heramba Kumar Borpujari, Surya Kumar Bhuyan and Amalendu Guha, as well as in the district gazette, National Archives and other historical documents.
Highlighting the government’s commitment to Sootea’s development, Sarma announced an additional Rs. 2-crore project to build a complex at the open Bihu field in the town.
Earlier in the day, he inaugurated two girls’ hostels at Tyagbir Hem Baruah College in Jamugurihat.
