Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Photo File: X/@BJP4Gujarat via ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to visit Andaman and Nicobar Islands for a day to commemorate the 116th anniversary of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s iconic poem ‘Sagara Pran Talamala’, officials said on Tuesday (Dec 9, 2025).
A senior official said they have received preliminary information about Mr. Shah’s arrival on either December 11 or 12 at the Veer Savarkar International Airport, but the final itinerary is awaited.
Police sources said that according to initial information, Mr. Shah will attend an event on December 12 in Beodnabad, South Andaman, where a statue of Savarkar will be unveiled. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat is also expected to attend the ceremony.
In the evening, the Minister of the Interior will probably speak at a public meeting at the Technological Institute of Dr. BR Ambedkara (DBRAIT) at Sri Vijaya Puram where a song dedicated to Savarkar will be formally released.
“He is also to inaugurate the newly constructed forensic science lab at Sri Vijaya Puram. All the information we have received from the MHA so far is preliminary and hopefully we will get his final itinerary in a day or two,” said a senior police officer.
Savarkar was imprisoned in the Cellular Jail (Kala Pani) in Port Blair (now known as Sri Vijaya Puram) by the British in 1911. During his imprisonment in the penal colony, he was kept in solitary confinement and subjected to hard labour.
It will be Mr Shah’s second visit to the archipelago. He last visited in January 2023 to commemorate the 126th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. On this trip, he was the Chief Guest at the culmination of the ‘Week of Iconic Events Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ held from 17th to 23rd January 2023 at Sri Vijaya Puram.
Published – 09 Dec 2025 14:13 IST
