1965 war hero Abdul Hamid’s family protests removal of his name from school in UP’s Ghazipur

1965 war hero Abdul Hamid’s family protests removal of his name from school in UP’s Ghazipur

The family of Param Vir Chakra awardee Abdul Hamid has strongly objected to the removal of his name from the entrance of a primary school in Dhamupur village, Ghazipur, where he once studied. The school was recently repainted and renamed “PM Shri Composite School,” replacing the original name “Shaheed Hamid Vidyalaya,” according to officials.

Hamid, a war hero of the 1965 India-Pakistan war, was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his extraordinary bravery in destroying three enemy tanks, forcing the retreat of Pakistani forces. The honour was presented to his wife, Rasoolan Bibi.

According to a Times of India report, Hamid’s grandson, Jameel Ahmed, said the family noticed the name change four days ago. When they objected, the school’s headmaster, Ajay Kushwaha, directed them to approach Basic Education Officer Hemant Rao, who reportedly assured them that Hamid’s name had been painted on an external school wall instead.

Political row erupts over ‘systematic erasure’ of national heroes’ names

The issue has triggered a political controversy. Samajwadi Party leader and local MP Afzal Ansari has accused the Uttar Pradesh government of systematically removing the names of Ghazipur’s national heroes from public places.

“This is not an isolated incident,” said Ansari, alleging that the entrance to a road named after Brigadier Mohammad Usman was demolished with a bulldozer and the boundary of an intermediate college named after Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, a former Indian National Congress president, was razed under the pretext of encroachment.

The family remains dissatisfied and has filed a formal complaint, demanding Abdul Hamid’s name be reinstated at the school’s entrance.

The controversy has sparked local outrage, with residents and Hamid’s family calling for the restoration of his honour and condemning the move as an insult to a war hero’s legacy.