The school in Dhamupur, part of the PM Schools for Rising India scheme, was reportedly set to be renamed PM SHRI Composite Vidyalaya Dhamupur by authorities.
New Delhi: Days after the education department in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur reportedly removed the name of 1965 war hero Abdul Hamid from a government school’s title, the move sparked backlash from his family and Opposition leaders.
The school falls under the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, and authorities had planned to rename it PM SHRI Composite Vidyalaya Dhamupur, according to local reports.
However, Ghazipur’s Basic Education Officer, Hemant Rao, told ThePrint that the school was merely being repainted and that there were no plans to change its name. He claimed the controversy arose during this process.
Hamid’s grandson had reportedly criticized the removal of his grandfather’s name. Following the backlash, the Ghazipur administration reached out to the family and assured them that the school’s name would remain unchanged, Rao said.
He, however, added that there was, in fact, no official record of the school being named after Hamid. The school has been carrying his name since 2012 in honour of the war hero who was from Dhamupur, he said.
Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid of 4 Grenadiers of Indian Army’s infantry regime was commander of a recoilless gun detachment during the 1965 war with Pakistan. He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously.
Several Congress leaders in the state, such as Members of Parliament Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan and Imran Pratapgarhi, and president of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee Ajay Rai, slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for excluding Muslims who have fought for the country.
Pratapgarhi Monday posted a video of the new name being painted on the school building and wrote, “After the news that the name of Param Vir Chakra awardee Veer Abdul Hamid School in Ghazipur was being changed, the education department was forced by the voices raised on social media to name the school again after Veer Abdul Hamid.”
In July last year, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had visited Dhamupur to release two books—Mere Papa Paramvir, about Abdul Hamid, and Bharat Ka Musalman.