Shahjahanpur/Lucknow (UP), March 24 – Statues of the martyrs of the Kakori train action were demolished using a bulldozer allegedly during road beautification work by a company in Shahjahanpur, sparking outrage, 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 were from Shahjahanpur, at the Shaheed memorial site outside the municipal corporation office here.
The statues, which were regularly adorned with garlands 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.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed strong displeasure over the demolition of the martyrs' statues during the road widening work in Shahjahanpur. Taking cognizance of the matter, he ordered strict action against the culprits and directed that the statues be reinstalled with due respect, the state government said in a statement.
"Acting on the chief minister's orders, an FIR was immediately registered against the company responsible for damaging the martyrs' statues during the road widening project."
"The chief minister stated that the officials under whose supervision the work was being executed must be suspended with immediate effect. Following CM Yogi Adityanath's directive, the company has been blacklisted with immediate effect, and the work contract has been revoked," the statement said.
Adityanath also said that "any insult to martyrs is absolutely unacceptable".
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 (SP) Rajesh Dwivedi said the FIR was based on a complaint lodged by the municipal corporation's chief engineer at Sadar Bazar police station.
Citing the FIR, Dwivedi told