Shahjahanpur (UP), March 24 Statues of those who died in the Kakori train incident were demolished using a bulldozer, allegedly during road construction work in Shahjahanpur, sparking outrage from opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), on Tuesday, who demanded action against those responsible.
The statues of freedom fighters Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, and Roshan Singh were installed along a road outside the Shahjahanpur Municipal Corporation office and were regularly garlanded by visiting public representatives. They were allegedly demolished on Sunday night.
A video purportedly showing the statues being razed and their debris dumped at a garbage site was posted on social media, drawing sharp reactions.
Municipal sources said the demolition was carried out by a contractor engaged in road construction and beautification work. After being dismantled, the remains of the statues were reportedly dumped at a waste disposal site, and the plaques installed at the site were also removed using a bulldozer.
Attempts by
Samajwadi Party (SP) district president Tanveer Khan alleged that the statues were demolished to remove a plaque bearing his name that had been installed during his tenure as municipal chairman.
He termed the act an "insult to the martyrs" and accused the administration of acting arbitrarily.
Reacting to the incident, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said that beautification can never take precedence over respect for martyrs.
Sharing a news report on social media platform X, he condemned the demolition, calling it a reflection of a "disturbing mindset".
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai demanded strict action against those responsible for the demolition.
"If justice is not served, every single Congress worker will take to the streets and fiercely oppose this dictatorship," he said in a post on X.
Rai said that the "BJP government's municipal corporation ran bulldozers over the statues of great sacrificers like Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaq Ullah Khan, and Thakur Roshan Singh."
"This is a direct assault on every brave hero who laid down their life for the country's freedom and on the sentiments of 145 crore Indians. The Yogi government must immediately take strict action against the responsible officials."
Meanwhile, a descendant of Ashfaqulla Khan said the act was condemnable and vowed to protest against it.