Punjabi Hindu Group Submits Statewide Memorandum to Punjab CM, Seeks Recognition for Landa Script and Reservation of Top Administrative Posts
PHAGWARA: In a statewide campaign aimed at highlighting issues related to Punjab's linguistic heritage and administrative identity, the Punjabi Hindu Group (Hindu Welfare Board) on Friday submitted a memorandum to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann through all 97 Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) offices across the state. The organisation described the exercise as a coordinated initiative conducted simultaneously between 12:28 p.m. and 12:50 p.m., with delegations reaching SDM offices in every subdivision of Punjab.
According to the organisation, the campaign was undertaken following resolutions adopted during a state-level meeting held on June 22 under the chairmanship of Mahant Ravi Kant Muni. In Phagwara, the memorandum was submitted by a delegation led by Raman Nehra, who said the initiative was intended to safeguard Punjab's historical identity, linguistic heritage and administrative interests rather than advance any political agenda.
The memorandum places two principal demands before the Punjab government. The first seeks that the posts of Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP), the state's two highest administrative offices, be held only by officers belonging to the region of undivided Punjab, comprising present-day Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. The organisation argued that these positions require officers with a deep understanding of Punjab's history, language, culture, public sentiment and social dynamics, as they are directly connected with governance, policy formulation and maintenance of law and order.
Explaining its position, the Punjabi Hindu Group said Punjab has historically displayed a strong tradition of resistance to external rule and noted that Punjabi police personnel made significant sacrifices during the militancy period to restore peace in the state. On this basis, the organisation maintained that the state's highest administrative positions should remain in the hands of officers who possess a historical and emotional connection with Punjab, while stating that officers from other parts of the country could continue to serve in other administrative capacities.
The second major demand concerns the official recognition of the Landa script, which the organisation described as the original historical script of the Punjabi language. According to the memorandum, the script formed an important part of Punjab's ancient linguistic and cultural heritage and was historically used for administration, religious writings and commercial record-keeping. The organisation further claimed that although Persian and later Shahmukhi gradually replaced Landa in official use during periods of political change, Punjabi trading communities preserved the script for centuries through traditional account books, commonly known as bahi-khatas.
The Punjabi Hindu Group has urged the state government to officially recognise the Landa script as a historical Punjabi script and launch dedicated programmes for its preservation, documentation and promotion through the Punjab Language Department. It has also sought the inclusion of the script's history and basic knowledge in school and college curricula, recognition of scholars engaged in Landa research, and digitisation of historical manuscripts and commercial records written in the script to ensure their preservation for future generations.
Appealing particularly to Punjab's trading community, the organisation said preserving the Landa script was not merely an effort to save an ancient writing system but a movement to protect the legacy of generations who kept the script alive through their commercial practices despite historical upheavals. It called upon scholars, educational institutions, social organisations, language enthusiasts and members of the public to support the campaign for preserving Punjab's linguistic and cultural heritage.
Expressing confidence that the state government would consider the memorandum sympathetically, the Punjabi Hindu Group urged the Punjab government to examine the demands as matters concerning Punjab's identity, history and language rather than through a political perspective. Members including Kapish Chopra, Dinesh Kharbanda, Pawan Dhunna, Nand Soni and other representatives were present during the submission of the memorandum in Phagwara
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