(Top) An equestrian event organised by the army in the early nineties and a gathering after the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985. Pictures by Ajit Baruah and S.H. Patgiri

Feb. 4: The campaign to save Judges Field acquired a new edge today with past and present stalwarts joining the protest against Dispur?s decision to ban public activities on the ground.

The personalities who expressed concern over the move today include former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and veteran sportsman Pulin Das, both of whom cherish memories of moments on the historical field.

Mahanta said, ?The Gogoi government is a dictatorial one and by imposing a ban on the holding of public functions at Judges Field, the government has indirectly admitted its failure to provide security to the people.?

As the president of the All Assam Students Union (AASU), Mahanta had addressed several public meetings at Judges Field during the Assam Movement.

?The sentiment of the people of Assam is associated with Judges Field and it will be foolish on the part of the state government to ban public events there,? Mahanta said.

Pulin Das recalled the most cherished moment of his life when, on November 24, 1947, he was presented a cricket bat on the field by the first premier of Assam, Gopinath Bordoloi. Das had scored the highest runs for the Premier?s XI against the Governor?s XI, led by then Assam governor Sir Akbar Hyderi.

Terming Dispur?s decision as ?painful?, the octogenarian recounted the importance of the field in the development of sports and how many public movements since the pre-Independence period had originated there.

?I remember watching cricket matches between the Europeans and the Indians on the ground in the pre-Independence period. However, as a kid my main attraction was the cakes distributed by the British officials among children at the end of the match,? Pulin Chandra Das said.

From hosting cricket matches between Europeans and Indians during the British rule to being the venue of the first edition of Bordoloi Trophy football tournament in 1952, the ground has witnessed major events.

The Kamrup Olympics was held on Judges Field in 1935. The ground has been the most popular venue for holding public meetings in the city for decades.

The Guwahati session of the Asam Sahitya Sabha was also held at the ground in 1937, which was presided over by Sanskrit scholar and vice-chancellor of Gauhati University, K.K. Handique.

Author of Heritage Guwahati, Dipankar Banerjee, said, ?The field came into existence in the 1850s when the British government acquired the land. However, it is at the end of the last century when the field was first allowed to be used for sporting activities.?

Vice-president of Gauhati Town Club J.N. Bhattacharya said, ?The general opinion is that the field used to be a place of public recreation even before Assam became a chief commissioner?s province in 1874. At that time, the field covered even the present Nehru Park. But after the construction of the Station Road in 1890, the field was bifurcated and the western part came to be known as Church Field.?

Social activist Dhiren Baruah said the government could not use the bomb explosions as excuses to bar the people from using the ground for non-official purposes.

?This playground is the only breathing place for the people of Guwahati and the government should immediately revoke its decision,? Baruah said.