Veer Savarkar Remembered as Amit Shah Announces Commission on Demographic Changes

Addressing a commemorative event organised to mark Savarkar’s birth anniversary, Shah highlighted the revolutionary leader’s role in India’s freedom movement and recalled the sacrifices he endured during British rule, including his imprisonment in the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The Home Minister stated that Savarkar was the only freedom fighter to receive two consecutive life imprisonment sentences in the infamous Kala Pani prison. Shah also recounted several defining moments from Savarkar’s life, including his dramatic escape attempt near the coast of France, his act of writing poetry on prison walls using his blood, and the authorship of a book on the 1857 uprising that was later banned by the British administration.

Highlighting Savarkar’s role as a social reformer, Shah referred to his campaign against untouchability and his efforts to promote social equality through the establishment of the Patit Pavan temple, which was opened to members of the Dalit community.

During the same event, Amit Shah announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to constitute a high-powered “Demography Change Commission” to investigate what he described as “artificial demographic changes” in different parts of the country.

According to Shah, the commission will examine the reasons behind such demographic shifts and recommend corrective measures to address the issue. He said the panel would also study whether new legal provisions are required to regulate demographic changes in sensitive regions.

The Home Minister stated that the commission has been directed to submit a detailed report to the central government within one year. He added that the initiative is aimed at ensuring structured institutional action on demographic concerns and that the committee will conduct a comprehensive study of regional population changes and their long-term implications.

The event combined tributes to Veer Savarkar’s legacy with a major policy announcement by the central government, placing national identity, social reform, and demographic concerns at the centre of political and administrative discourse.