SEVERAL BJP and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members organised a protest and also blocked the Moradabad-Haridwar highway for an hour on Tuesday to demand the removal of a statue of Padma Bhushan awardee Ustad Ahmed Jan Khan Thirakwa, a well-known tabla player, placed at a main crossing of Moradabad. The road leading to the statue was also named after him recently.
A number of local residents joined the protesters, who raised slogans against the Moradabad Municipal Corporation and warned of launching a sustained agitation if the statue was not removed soon and be replaced with that of Subhash Chandra Bose.
They covered the statue with black polythene. The statue is situated at Subhash crossing on the Kanth road near the Akbar fortress in Moradabad. “This is a serious issue and we will continue our agitation till the statue is replaced with that of Subash Chandra Bose,” said Jaidev Yadav,a local VHP leader.
Ustad Ahmed Khan, who died in 1976 at the age of 84 years, was a skilled percussionist who could play several instruments. He had enthralled the audience for many decades.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.