Lahore: A plan by Lahore’s city district government to rename Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh has been shelved following objections from a retired military officer, according to official documents submitted to the Lahore High Court (LHC). The written response was submitted to the Lahore High Court (LHC), and serious allegations were levelled against the freedom fighter.
Against Bhagat Singh
In response to a contempt petition filed by Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Pakistan Chairman Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi, the Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore stated that Commodore (retd.) Tariq Majeed, a member of the renaming committee, objected to the proposal. Majeed argued that Singh was not a revolutionary but a criminal, stating, "In today’s terms, he was a terrorist. He killed a British police officer, and for this crime, he was hanged along with two accomplices."
Religious, Cultural Concerns
Majeed's report further argued against naming the Chowk after Singh and installing his statue, citing religious and cultural grounds. He claimed that Singh was influenced by "religious leaders hostile to Muslims" and accused the Bhagat Singh Foundation of working against Islamic ideology and Pakistani culture. The report questioned, "Don’t the officials of the foundation, who call themselves Muslims, know that it is not acceptable to name a place after an atheist in Pakistan and that Islam prohibits human statues?"
Response from Bhagat Singh Foundation
The foundation is planning to file a rejoinder to Majeed's report. Its Chairman said Bhagat Singh is undisputedly a great revolutionary, freedom fighter, and martyr. "I will send a legal notice to retired Commodore Majeed for levelling serious allegations against the Bhagat Singh Foundation and contest his stance on Bhagat Singh," PTI quoted Qureshi as saying.
'Contempt of Court'
Qureshi has included the district government, DC Lahore, Chief Secretary Punjab, and the Administrator of the City District Government as parties in a contempt of court petition. He cited LHC Justice Shahid Jamil Khan's directive from September 5, 2018, which directed authorities to rename Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh. However, the court order is yet to be implemented.
LHC Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza adjourned the hearing of the contempt plea to Jan 17, 2025, due to the unavailability of the petitioner’s counsel.
Legacy of Bhagat Singh
Singh was hanged along with his two comrades - Rajguru and Sukhdev - by British rulers on March 23, 1931, at the age of 23 in Lahore, after being tried under charges for hatching a conspiracy against the colonial government and allegedly killing British police officer John P Saunders. (With PTI Inputs)
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