Union Home Minister Amit Shah on January 3, 2026, projected the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a powerful symbol of India’s reclaimed history and forward-looking governance, as he inaugurated Veer Savarkar’s memorial and an eternal flame at the Cellular Jail.
Through a series of public addresses and social media posts, Shah asserted that the islands now narrate the once-silenced sacrifices of India’s freedom fighters to the world.
HM Amit Shah said the memorial and eternal flame ensure that the struggles endured within the Cellular Jail no longer remain confined to history books.
He underlined that Veer Savarkar, who spent 27 years imprisoned there beginning in 1911, embodied uncompromising resistance against colonial rule.
According to Shah, the memorial restores a narrative deliberately suppressed during British rule and later marginalised in independent India.
During the same visit, Amit Shah inaugurated nine development projects worth Rs 373 crore and laid the foundation stones for two more, reinforcing the Cellular Jail’s evolution from a colonial prison into a national monument of pride and resolve.
He said these initiatives reflect Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of blending heritage with development.
In another address, Amit Shah praised PM Modi for renaming two islands as ‘Shaheed’ and ‘Swaraj’, honouring Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who hoisted the Tricolour in the islands in 1943.
HM Shah said the renaming formed part of PM Modi’s sustained campaign between 2018 and 2023 to decolonise the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, during which 21 islands were rechristened after freedom fighters.
History Reclaimed & Development Accelerated
Home Minister Amit Shah described the move as an assertion of national self-respect and historical correction.
While supporters hailed it as a patriotic tribute, critics questioned its political intent, revealing a sharp public debate. Shah, however, maintained that reclaiming history strengthens national unity.
Amit Shah also inaugurated a three-day exhibition on India’s new criminal laws, urging lawyers, students, women, and youth to engage with the reforms.
He explained that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam replaced colonial-era codes to ensure faster trials, technology-driven policing, and justice delivery within three years by 2029.
Highlighting development ambitions, Amit Shah spoke about the Great Nicobar Project, a $7.5 billion initiative involving a port, airport, and green energy facilities.
He said the project would transform the islands into a global trade, tourism, and strategic hub, aligning with PM Modi’s Indo-Pacific vision.
HM Shah acknowledged the environmental concerns raised by opposition parties but stressed the government’s efforts, such as planting 2.4 million trees, to maintain ecological balance.
Shah further emphasised maritime security, cybercrime preparedness, blue economy prospects, and tourism growth, projecting that the islands would emerge as major contributors to India’s treasury within a decade.
Through memorials, reforms, and infrastructure, HM Amit Shah presented the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as living proof of PM Modi’s resolve to erase colonial legacies while positioning India as a confident global power.
Andaman and Nicobar has become a focal point of India’s strategic power. pic.twitter.com/NyEo3xdeFc
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 3, 2026
Also Read: HM Amit Shah Inaugurates Criminal Law Exhibition In Andaman’s Sri Vijaya Puram
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