Kakori martyrs’ statues bulldozed in Shahjahanpur, sparks political outrage

MEERUT: Statues of martyrs of 1925 Kakori conspiracy during the freedom struggle were allegedly demolished by a bulldozer during a road construction drive in Shahjahanpur, triggering a political backlash. Opposition parties, including Samajwadi Party (SP), on Tuesday demanded strict action against those responsible.District magistrate Dharmender Pratap Singh said a new structure is being developed at the site due to traffic congestion, with bases prepared for reinstalling the statues. He acknowledged the contractor's insensitivity and said the road constructing agency will face penalties.Sources said an FIR was filed on Tuesday against the contractor, Fly Infratech, under BNS section 196 (promoting enmity, hatred, or disaffection between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language or caste) and 352 (breach of peace). The statues of freedom fighters Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan and Thakur Roshan Singh -- installed outside the municipal corporation office -- were brought down on Sunday night.A video circulating on social media purportedly shows the statues being broken and their debris dumped as waste. Plaques at the location were also uprooted using a bulldozer. Sources said the statues were razed by a contractor engaged in road construction and beautification work.SP district president Tanveer Khan alleged that the demolition was intended to remove a plaque bearing his name from his tenure as municipal chairman, calling it an "insult to martyrs." SP chief Akhilesh Yadav condemned the incident, stating that beautification can never take precedence over respect for martyrs, and termed the act as reflective of a "disturbing mindset."The Kakori conspiracy refers to the Aug 9, 1925, train robbery near Lucknow, led by members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), including Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan, aimed at seizing govt funds as a protest against oppressive taxation by the British.