Akhilesh Yadav pledges to fund education of girl saving books during demolition drive

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday announced that he would bear the education expenses of eight-year-old Ananya Yadav from Ambedkar Nagar, whose video of running with books in her hands during a demolition drive near her shanty has drawn widespread attention, including from the Supreme Court.

In a post on X, Yadav took a swipe at the Yogi Adityanath-led government, stating, "Those who destroy children's future are truly homeless themselves. We take the responsibility for this child's education. Only those who have studied understand the value of education." 

Condemning the use of bulldozers in eviction drives, the former CM remarked that the machine is a symbol of destruction, not knowledge, wisdom or intelligence.

"A bulldozer moves on wheels of arrogance, fueled by egotism, with no reins of justice," he added.

The recent video of Ananya fleeing with her books as authorities razed structures in her area has sparked outrage, with many questioning the human cost of such demolition drives.

In March, the girl had to leave her shanty during the demolition drive, as it was allegedly on encroached land.

The Ambedkar Nagar Police defended the demolition.

“This action was taken to remove encroachment from the village land, following an ejection order passed by the Jalalpur tehsildar’s court…The demolition was carried out in full compliance with the revenue court’s order to reclaim government land,” they said.

The SC, which recently took cognisance of the issue, has sought a response from authorities regarding the circumstances of such demolitions in nearby areas.  After the video from the demolition drive went viral, she shared with reporters that she wants to be an IAS officer one day.