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Akhilesh Yadav vows to fund education of girl who saved books amid UP demolition drive
In a video that made the rounds on social media, the girl was seen fleeing razed structures, while holding on to her books.
Samajwadi party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday pledged that he would fund the education of an 8-year-old girl who went viral after a video surfaced of her running with books during a demolition drive near her shanty.
In a post on X, Akhilesh Yadav took a jibe at the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government, saying, “Those who ruin the future of children are actually homeless. We take a pledge to educate this girl. Only those who study know the value of education. The bulldozer is a symbol of destructive power, not of knowledge, understanding or wisdom.”
He also criticised the demolition drives conducted by the UP government and said, “The bulldozer runs on the fuel of ego, on the wheels of arrogance, it has no reins of justice.”
The girl, Ananya Yadav, was forced to leave her shanty in March, during a demolition drive in Arai village in the Ambedkar Nagar district, due to the state government's allegation that the residential structures had been built on encroached land.
"There was a fire near our home, and the bulldozer was coming close. So, I ran inside to get my books and notebooks," she said, as quoted by PTI.
In a video that made the rounds on social media, Ananya was seen fleeing the razed structures while holding on to her books. Later, she told reporters that she would like to become an IAS officer in the future.
Supreme Court on girl fleeing demolition drive
The Supreme Court also took cognisance of Ananya Yadav, citing her as an example of the lack of sensitivity involved in the UP government's demolition drives.
A Supreme Court bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan observed, as quoted by PTI, "There is a recent video in which small huts are being demolished by bulldozers. There is a small girl running away from the demolished hut with a clutch of books in her hand. It has shocked everybody."
“The manner in which the demolition has taken place shocks our conscience. Residences of the appellants have been high-handedly demolished. There is something called right to shelter, due process of law,” the bench added.
The apex court reminded authorities of people's constitutional right to shelter, and asked them to issue a response regarding the nature of the demolitions and provide compensation to the displaced family.
