Shahjahanpur (UP), Mar 27 (PTI) Congress workers on Friday took out a torch march and performed a symbolic “purification” ritual on the reinstalled statues of martyrs in Shahjahanpur, days after the idols were allegedly demolished and dumped at a garbage site triggering outrage.
The protest comes a day after the statues of freedom fighters, including Ashfaqulla Khan, Ram Prasad Bismil and Thakur Roshan Singh, were reinstalled at the Town Hall tri-junction following directions from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Congress district president Rajneesh Gupta told PTI that party workers were deeply hurt by the disrespect to the martyrs. He said hundreds of workers took out a torch procession on Thursday night and later gathered near the statues, sprinkling milk and Ganga water as part of a ritual.
He said the statues had been freshly painted, and the ritual was carried out carefully to avoid any damage. He alleged that while “BJP leaders may disrespect martyrs, Congress workers consider them sacred”, adding that damaged idols are traditionally not worshipped and are instead immersed in the Ganga or respectfully buried.
Demonstrations by various political groups continued for the fourth consecutive day, with protesters demanding an independent probe into the incident. Several groups have alleged that the demolition could not have occurred without administrative approval.
Samajwadi Party (SP) district president Tanveer Khan earlier claimed that the statues were targeted due to political reasons, alleging that they were installed during his tenure and bore his name on the plaque.
The controversy stems from an incident on Sunday night when the statues were allegedly bulldozed in the name of a beautification drive and their remains dumped in a garbage vehicle. The episode sparked widespread anger.
Taking cognisance, Chief Minister Adityanath ordered action, following which a junior engineer and an assistant engineer were suspended and an FIR was lodged against the executing agency.
Meanwhile, opposition parties have intensified their demand for a high-level and independent investigation to fix accountability in the matter. PTI COR CDN KSS KSS
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