Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the tribes in the country and the state have a brilliant and glorious history. Tribal heroes have played a very important role in the freedom struggle. The British made all efforts to end the pride of our tribes. We are going to restore it.

Chief Minister Shri Chouhan performed bhoomi-poojan of the statues of the tribal immortal martyrs Raja Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah at Qila Ward Mandla on the concluding day of Janjatiya Gourav Saptah. He remembered and paid obeisance to Raja Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah. The work of building the statue will be done at a cost of Rs 50 lakh.

Raja Shri Shankar Shah of Gondwana dynasty and his son Shri Raghunath Shah led the rebellion against the British. They inspired the British army based in Jabalpur to revolt. Shri Raghunath Shah along with his father Shankar Shah had attained martyrdom on September 18, 1857.

Union Minister of State for Steel Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection of Madhya Pradesh Government and Minister in charge of Mandla district Shri Bisahulal Singh, Forest Minister Shri Kunwar Vijay Shah, Tribal Affairs Minister Sushri Meena Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Smt. Sampatia Uike and MLA Dev Singh Saiyam were present on the occasion.