Bhagat Singh's birth anniversary: Administration turns blind eye towards his hiding place in Agra's Noori Darwaza

As the nation pays its tributes to freedom fighter Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary today, not many know that he stayed in Agra's Norri Darwaza for months after the murder of police officer John Saunders.

He was later hanged on 23 March, 1931, by the British government, after he was convicted.

However, Noori Darwaza has been a victim of administration apathy as no interest has been taken in conserving the site.

Various activities have been organised across the city today, but the Noori Darwaza monument stands neglected.

In 1962, a bill was passed to rename Noori Darwaza as Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg, but it remained confined to paper only.

Bhagat Singh and his team of revolutionaries had initially decided to keep the party headquarters in Jhansi but later changed it to Agra. They reached Agra in 1929, took rented two houses and started training their supporters.

The martyr had also set up a small library in Agra and sought books from locals for it. Sadly, no library exists at Noori Darwaza today and the place he lived in for three months is in a dilapidated state.