The Uttar Pradesh government has sparked controversy by renaming Ghazipur's Shaheed Veer Abdul Hamid Vidyalaya to Prime Minister Schools for Rising India Composite School Dhamupur, removing the tribute to the 1965 war hero Abdul Hamid. The decision, which was ordered by the state education department, has provoked strong reactions from Hamid's family and the residents of his native Dhamupur village, leading them to file a complaint with the basic education officer.
Abdul Hamid, a posthumous recipient of India's highest military award, the Param Vir Chakra, sacrificed his life during the 1965 India-Pakistan war while battling Pakistani Patton tanks in the Battle of Asal Uttar, one of the war's largest tank confrontations. His grandson, Jameel Alam, criticized the renaming, stating that the local community was not consulted, calling the action an insult to Hamid's legacy.
Veer Abdul Hamid.
However, Basic Education Officer Hemant Rao defended the change, claiming that the name "Shaheed Veer Abdul Hamid Vidyalaya" was never officially recorded in the school's documents. Rao further noted that the name "Composite School Dhamupur" had been in use since April 2019, but assured that the matter would be looked into and treated as a priority.
The renaming is part of the Prime Minister Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) initiative launched in 2022 to upgrade approximately 14,500 schools across the country into "model" institutions. The cost of upgrading these schools is shared between the Union and state governments, with a 60-40 funding split.
The move has been met with sharp criticism from several political figures. Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai condemned the change, calling it an affront to Abdul Hamid's sacrifice and India's history. "What enmity does this government have with great men?" he wrote on social media.
Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad also condemned the renaming, labeling it "reprehensible" and an insult to the warrior's supreme sacrifice. He questioned the government's respect for the nation's soldiers, demanding an apology from the state education department and calling for a reversal of the decision.
Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi joined the chorus of disapproval, urging the state government to preserve the school as a memorial to Hamid's legacy. He called for the school's name to be restored to Veer Abdul Hamid and for action to be taken against those responsible for repeatedly attempting to erase such historical tributes.
In July, on the occasion of Abdul Hamid's birth anniversary, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat released a book on the war veteran titled 'Mere Papa Paramveer (My Father, the Greatest Warrior)', authored by Ramachandran Srinivasan, based on accounts from Hamid's son, Zainul Hasan.