Celebrations to mark the centenary of Chauri Chaura incident inaugrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually on Thursday. Amid various programmes that have been lined up, 10 artists under the banner of Lalit Kala Akademi  also paint stories of martyrs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said it was “unfortunate” that those who laid down their lives in the Chauri Chaura incident in 1922 were not given due place in the pages of history.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the Chauri Chaura incident should be included in school curriculum to instil national pride in students. A theme song, composed by Virendra Vatsa, has been prepared which will be sung by school children and volunteers at various programme venues across UP on Thursday.

“The three-minute song has been prepared by the culture department. It narrates the story of the incident and praises the martyrs for their efforts. This is only for the inaugural day. Subsequently, there will be programmes held throughout the year to mark the event ,” said a government spokesperson.

After the inaugration, national song Vande Matram will be sung across the state at programmes organised in schools and at martyrs memorials. Prabhat pheris will be taken out in all districts of the state while cultural programmes will be held for a year to mark the event.

On February 4, 1921, the police had fired at a group of protesters which led them to set the police station in Chauri Chaura on fire, killing some policemen. This led Mahatma Gandhi to call off the non-cooperation movement which had been gaining momentum till then.