In Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, there was a significant commotion when the platform being built for the statue of Harishankar Tiwari on his anniversary was bulldozed by the police-administration. The late Harishankar Tiwari was known as a powerful leader from Purvanchal. A day before, his supporters were preparing to install his statue in their ancestral village Barhalganj Tanda, but the administration intervened and stopped them. This move has angered Harishankar Tiwari's son, Vinay Shankar. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also condemned the government, stating that until now, BJP's bulldozer affected shops and houses, but now it has started impacting the dignity and respect of the deceased.
Harishankar Tiwari was a multiple-term MLA from the Chillupar constituency, where his ancestral village is located. On July 31, his supporters gathered in large numbers to install his statue, for which a platform was constructed. As soon as the administration got wind of this, a significant police force arrived at the scene and halted the statue installation. Officials claimed that the villagers were doing this without proper permission and that the platform construction on gram sabha land was unauthorized. However, the villagers alleged that the administration neither granted permission nor explicitly denied it.
Source: aajtak
On Wednesday, SDM, CO, and forces from several police stations reached the village and bulldozed the under-construction platform. Although, the authorities faced significant resistance from the villagers during this process.
In this case, Vinay Shankar Tiwari, former MLA of Chillupar and son of Harishankar Tiwari, expressed regret and disappointment. He mentioned on social media that in the government where his father served as a minister during Kalyan Singh's era, the same government (Yogi's government) is now dishonoring his father out of arrogance.
According to Vinay Shankar, the same government gave his father a guard of honor after his death. His father served as a minister in several previous governments. The decision to install his statue in the village was made by the villagers, not him. However, the power-drunk government demolished the platform being built for the statue of Harishankar Tiwari. Even the high-mast light installed next to the platform was pulled down. No notice was issued prior to the demolition, which is entirely inappropriate.
Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav stated that so far, BJP's bulldozer affected shops and houses, but now it has started impacting the dignity and respect of the deceased. The demolition of the proposed statue installation site of former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister and seven-time MLA of Chillupar, the late Shri Harishankar Tiwari, by the BJP government is highly objectionable. Immediate reconstruction of the statue installation site should be done so that the statue can be installed with full respect on the anniversary day, August 5. Condemnable.