Shahjahanpur (UP), March 24 Statues of those who died in the Kakori train action were demolished using a bulldozer, allegedly during road beautification work by a firm in Shahjahanpur, sparking angry reactions with opposition parties demanding action against those responsible.
Amid mounting outrage, an FIR was filed against the company on Tuesday evening over the demolition of statues of freedom fighters Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, and Roshan Singh, who hailed from Shahjahanpur, at the Shaheed memorial site outside the municipal corporation office here.
The statues, which were regularly garlanded by visiting public representatives, were allegedly demolished on Sunday night, and a video appeared on social media purportedly showing the remains being dumped at a garbage site.
The Samajwadi Party accused authorities of "insulting" the martyrs, and protests were held by the local Congress unit and a Hindu outfit on Tuesday.
Later in the evening, Shahjahanpur Police lodged an FIR against the company under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 196(2) (promoting enmity affecting harmony at religious places) and 352 (intentional insult). Superintendent of Police Rajesh Dwivedi said that the municipal corporation's chief engineer lodged a complaint at Sadar Bazar police station.
Citing the FIR, he told
