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UP: 1965 war hero Abdul Hamid's name removed from Ghazipur school gate, family upset
The school in Dhamupur village in the district has been renamed ‘PM Shri Composite School’ after recent painting work.
The name of Abdul Hamid, who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his contribution to the 1965 India-Pakistan war, has reportedly been removed from the main gate of a primary school in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur where he once studied.
According to officials cited in a news agency PTI report, the school in Dhamupur village in the district has been renamed ‘PM Shri Composite School’ after recent painting work.
Jameel Ahmed, the grandson of Hamid, said the school was repainted four days ago. The name ‘Shaheed Hamid Vidyalaya’ was replaced with 'PM Shri Composite School' at the entrance, he added.
Ahmed said that after he and his family raised an objection with headmaster Ajay Kushwaha, they were directed to approach Basic Education Officer Hemant Rao.
The family members claim that Rao informed them that Hamid's name had been painted on one of the school's external walls. However, the family claimed that the entrance remained unchanged, according to PTI.
The family then filed another complaint on Saturday, demanding that the 1965 war hero's name be reinstated at the school's entrance.
Ahmed claimed that while Rao assured that it would be done "immediately", the name was still not displayed at the entrance as of Monday, leaving the family "deeply hurt".
"Shaheed Abdul Hamid's name would soon be reinstated at the school's main entrance, adding that it had already been inscribed on an external wall," Rao said, according to PTI.
Who was Abdul Hamid?
During the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the US supplied Pakistan with Patton tanks, which were believed to be invincible. Hamid, displaying extraordinary bravery, destroyed three of these tanks, forcing the enemy to retreat.
On September 10, 1965, Abdul Hamid destroyed three Pakistani tanks in Cheema village in the Khem Karan sector with a recoilless gun mounted on a Jeep. He was killed in tank fire from the fourth before he could engage it.
In recognition of his valour, the Param Vir Chakra award was announced less than a week after the battle, where he sacrificed himself.
The award was presented to Rasoolan Bibi by the then President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan at the 1966 Republic Day parade.
