Outrage over razing Kakori martyrs’ statues, CM Yogi Adityanath orders FIR against firm

Shahjahanpur District Magistrate Dharmendra Pratap Singh has ordered an inquiry into the matter.

According to a government official, the Chief Minister took cognisance of the incident and directed that the company be blacklisted with an immediate effect. He also ordered the immediate suspension of officials found responsible for the negligence.

The CM also ordered that the damaged statues be restored and reinstalled in a respectful and appropriate manner without any delay.

The statues were installed along a road outside the Shahjahanpur Municipal Corporation office.

A video purportedly showing the statues being razed and their debris dumped at a garbage site was posted on social media, drawing sharp reactions.

The plaques installed at the site were also removed using a bulldozer.

Earlier, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav condemned the demolition, calling it a reflection of a “disturbing mindset”. Sharing a news report on social media platform X, he said that beautification can never take precedence over respect for martyrs.

Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai also 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 the “BJP government’s municipal corporation ran bulldozers over the statues of great sacrificers like Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaq Ullah Khan, and 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.”

Also, a descendant of Ashfaqulla Khan said the act was condemnable and vowed to protest against it.

— PTI inputs