Political row over vandalism of Kakori martyrs' statues

While patriotism is claimed, the statues of martyrs face disrespect.

On the nights of 22-23 March 2026, between 12:30 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., the statues of Kakori martyrs Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, and Roshan Singh, established in 1972 in the municipal premises of Shahjahanpur, were demolished by a bulldozer and the debris was dumped outside the city.

Photo Caption - The statues of Kakori martyrs demolished by a bulldozer

By the morning of 23 March, news of this misdeed, executed with the collusion of the municipal administration and the state government, spread with photos and videos, sparking protests in many cities across the state. The honourable Mayor, claiming ignorance due to observing Navratri fasts, stated that she was not attending the municipal office that day and thus was unaware of the incident. The Municipal Commissioner also claimed to have no knowledge of the bulldozer action on the martyr statues.

Photo Caption - Debris of the demolished statues dumped in the dumping ground

Subsequently, in a hurried attempt to cover up, the responsibility was pinned on the beautification agency. However, the truth was revealed when the executing agency stated in court that none of their employees worked at night and their JCB machine was not present at the site. It remains a mystery as to what and whose conspiratorial plan was behind the secretive removal of the martyr statues at night.

Photo Caption - Columns hastily erected under public pressure and the reassembled statues placed

Under social pressure, the broken heads and torsos of the statues were quickly reassembled and painted in bright colours to hide the crime. They were hastily erected on makeshift brick columns. We witnessed with open eyes that the same 'culprits' shamelessly garlanded the reassembled martyr statues and shouted 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'.

It is noteworthy that only four months have passed, and the paint on these martyr statues is rapidly peeling off, and the poor plaster on the columns is crumbling. There is a fear that these martyr statues will soon collapse, and who will be responsible then? The question remains why the perpetrators of this injustice to the grand statues, the first to be erected in the 'City of Martyrs', have not been identified yet, and why the memorial's structure is deteriorating so quickly after repairs?

These three grand statues of Kakori martyrs were established in the 'Silver Jubilee Year of Independence' (1972) by the then Municipal Chairman Vasudev Gupta, who was also imprisoned during the 1942 movement. At the same time, 'Shaheed Dwar' was constructed in the field south of these martyr statues, and freedom fighter and 'Saathi' weekly editor Shyam Singh 'Baagi' organised the 'Shaheed Mela', inaugurated by Peshawar revolution hero Chandrasingh Garhwali.

Photo Caption - Scene before the statue site was demolished

Near the central location of the city known as Town Hall, the Gandhi Bhavan Auditorium is just two minutes away, and the 'Bismil Room' of Arya Samaj (where he stayed) is a little further ahead, in the Khirni Bagh locality where Bismil was born. Countless old revolutionaries, writers, thinkers, and theatre artists from across the country have paid homage at these statues of Kakori martyrs, which were completely flattened in the name of beautification by the dawn of 23 March 2026. It is ironic that 23 March is the martyrdom day of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru!

The 'severed head' of Ashfaq lying in the debris, the 'torso' of Roshan Singh buried, and the damaged 'Inquilab' of Bismil left us in silence. O unfortunate martyrs of my city, you have been sentenced to death once again, and this time the noose around your strong necks, which once stood against British imperialism, was the executioner's bulldozer of the current independent Indian government.

Martyrs, we are ashamed!