On May 8, 1953, Syama Prasad Mookerjee set out from Delhi on a journey that would be his last. He was the former minister in the Central Cabinet and the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and he was traveling to Jammu to know firsthand about the Praja Parishad movement in the state.
Before departure, Syama Prasad Mookerjee released a statement elucidating the reasons behind his journey to Jammu without seeking entry permission. The reason why Indians required permission to enter the state of Jammu and Kashmir when it had acceded to India was beyond him, especially considering the statements made by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Upon reaching Jammu & Kashmir, he was immediately arrested and detained in a small cottage located near Nishat Bagh in Srinagar. This small cottage had been used as a temporary sub-jail. It was an isolated place and located in a hill facing Dal Lake. Access to the cottage entailed going up a steep flight of stairs, which apparently troubled Mookerjee owing to his leg injury.
The primary room in which Syama Prasad Mookerjee was housed was about 10 feet x 11 feet in size. His two companions Guru Datt Vaid and Tek Chand were lodged in two other rooms. Later on, when Praja Parishad Chief Prem Nath Dogra was brought here, a tent had to be erected outside because there was no space inside.
According to reports, there were very basic health facilities provided at the camp. Any doctor had to be fetched from Srinagar. The communication facilities too were inadequate. The nearest telephone was some 100 yards away at an office of the waterworks.
Syama Prasad Mookerjee breathed his last while under arrest on June 23, 1953, some weeks later. The death resulted in endless discussions about the possibility that he had been poorly handled both medically and during his incarceration. Even though a conspiracy was not proven, the events at the end of his life remain an interesting topic among the masses even up to date.
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