In a significant move, the Education authorities in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur on Tuesday, February 18 restored the name of the 1965 war hero Veer Havildar Abdul Hameed to the entrance of the government school following the huge political outrage and protests from family members of the martyr.
After the widespread public outrage and political backlash, the education authorities on Tuesday. February 18, restored the school’s name to “Shaheed Veer Abdul Hamid PM Shri Composite School, Dhamupur, Jakhanian, Ghazipur district,” the grandson of the martyr, Jameel Ahmad, confirmed.
The government primary school located in Dhamupur village was named in memory of Veer Abdul Hameed who was also an alumnus of the school. However, the Ghazipur Education administration early this week changed the school’s name to PM Shri Composite Vidyalaya Dhamupur.
His name was painted on the school’s main gate by the Basic Education Department and replaced with “PM Shri Composite School”. Authorities initially attempted to manage the situation by writing Hamid’s name on a wall but Jameel Ahmad disputed the issue with an official complaint with the Basic Education Officer (BSA) through telephone communication, requesting immediate interventions.
Abdul Hamid was awarded the Param Vir Chakra on September 10, 1965, posthumously, for his actions in the 1965 India-Pakistan war. The award was announced less than a week after the Battle of Asal Uttar, where he died.
