New Delhi: The government told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the revolutionary freedom fighter Bhagat SinghSukhdev and Rajguru – who were hanged by the then British regime on March 23, 1931 – have been martyred to achieve India’s independence and their martyrdom is a fact “not dependent on the inferred presence of the absence of official records”.“The martyrdom of these freedom fighters and their invaluable contribution to India’s freedom struggle is an integral part of the narrative of our fight for freedom and is well known in our history… Their stature is far above any award or title or status given in this regard,” junior home minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar said in a written response to a question on whether the three freedom fighters were given ‘martyr’ status.Saying that their names “will always be written in golden words in the annals of history,” Kumar said the names of all freedom fighters, including Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, are recorded in the ‘Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle from 1857 to 1947’ published by the Culture Ministry. “The position of the Government of India on this has remained unchanged since 1947,” he told the House.A day earlier, on the occasion of Martyrs’ Day, PM Narendra Modi had remembered the martyrdom of the three heroes and in a post on Twitter said their ideals of justice, patriotism and fearless resistance ignite the spirit of countless Indians. He posted, “Today we pay our respects to the brave sons of Bharat Mata, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. Their martyrdom for the nation is imprinted in our collective memory.”