Controversy Over Renaming Shadman Chowk in Honor of Freedom Fighter Bhagat Singh

The Lahore High Court dismissed a petition to rename Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh and install his statue. The Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation plans to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court. The city government had earlier scrapped plans to honor the independence hero due to opposition.

The Lahore High Court has dismissed a petition seeking the renaming of Shadman Chowk to honor Bhagat Singh, an emblematic figure of resistance against British colonial rule. The petition, filed by the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation, also called for the installation of a statue of Singh at the location where he was executed in 1931.

The court decision came after hearing arguments from the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore and the foundation. The corporation submitted that it had already scrapped the plan due to objections, despite a previous court order urging the renaming.

The foundation, led by Advocate Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi, now intends to appeal to the Supreme Court. Singh, along with his associates Sukhdev and Rajguru, was executed for his role in the assassination of British officer John P Saunders, a case which continues to spark fervent nationalistic sentiments in the region.

(With inputs from agencies.)