The library in Majwind-Gopalpura — established to commemorate Gurmukh Singh, whom residents describe as a founding member of the Indian National Army (INA) and an associate of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose — has become a victim of official apathy.Villagers say the library, set up by the village panchayat after considerable efforts, is now largely locked and appears to have slipped off the priority list of the present village panchayats.A visit to the premises presents a picture of neglect. The doors remain locked and a peek through a window reveals books lying inside closed cabinets, apparently untouched for a long time. The villagers say Gurmukh Singh was honoured with the “Veer-e-Hind” title in 1943 and had also travelled to Germany during the freedom struggle.He remained closely associated with the Bose family and was the latter’s confidant.With most of his descendants now living abroad, the villagers say the responsibility of preserving his legacy has increasingly fallen on the community and local institutions.“Ironically, the institution created to keep that legacy alive is itself crying for attention,” they added.Sukhdeep Singh Sidhu, former sarpanch, said the library was opened in 2004. “It was established with the idea of keeping the memory of Gurmukh Singh and his contribution to the freedom struggle alive. It is unfortunate that the facility is not being put to proper use now,” he said.The villagers appealed to the present panchayats of Majwind and Gopalpura as well as the government to take steps for the revival of the library. They suggested that it could be renovated, opened regularly and developed into a proper reading room, particularly for students.The villagers fear that unless someone opens the doors again, the story of Gurmukh Singh may gradually disappear from public memory.