Lucknow, 8 November

A controversy erupted over the demolition of a portion of the house of shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav raised the matter on Saturday, even as the municipality denied any role in the demolition.

Yadav slammed the "BJP and its narrow-minded allies" over the demolition in a social media post, calling them "orthodox conservatives with a narrow mindset", and said that destroying the shared legacy of a Bharat Ratna awardee is tantamount to destroying the honour of the country.

However, officials of the Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) said the family members of late Bismillah Khan carried out the demolition of their own accord after refusing their offer of a museum at the place.

Family members of Bismillah Khan too have rubbished the claims made by Akhilesh Yadav.

The controversy was triggered after the SP chief slammed the BJP government for the demolition in a post on X and shared a purported video of the demolished structure.

"The BJP and their narrow-minded allies are always against 'art and artistes' because these orthodox conservatives have a narrow mindset. Creative people lay the groundwork and create the conditions for a social change," he wrote.

"Destroying the shared legacy of someone who has been awarded the Bharat Ratna is tantamount to destroying not only their dignity and honour, but also the honour of Bharat.

"The BJP is harming the country by burning it in the fire of hatred. Once in government, we will build a 'Shravan Sangrahalaya' to preserve the musical legacy of Bharat Ratna Bismillah Khan. Utterly reprehensible!" Yadav said.

Rejecting Yadav's claim, the VMC said discussions were held with Bismillah Khan's family regarding the establishment of a museum at his residence, as the corporation has initiated a project to honour the city's eminent personalities.

"However, the family did not give their consent to this proposal," VMC Public Relations Officer Sandeep Srivastava said.

"Citing the dilapidated condition of the building, the family expressed a desire to demolish the structure themselves and undertake its redevelopment independently," Srivastava said.

Consequently, the building was demolished by the family. As the municipal corporation did not receive consent for the project, it could not develop the museum, nor did it play any role in the demolition process, he added.

Police also said the property owner carried out the demolition; however, they added that the VMC had issued a notice regarding its poor condition.

Chowk police station SHO Vijay Kumar Shukla said the family members had approached the police station due to an internal dispute concerning certain portions of the property, which has since been resolved. The owner is now carrying out the demolition of his own property, Shukla said.

Rubbishing Yadav's claims, Mohammad Sibtain, the grandson of Bismillah Khan, said, "We are undertaking the reconstruction work with the consent of the family. We are receiving full support from the government and the administration; there is no coercion or administrative interference of any kind."

He added that the house, which is nearly 90 years old, had become extremely dilapidated, and for this reason, the entire family decided to have it rebuilt.

Sibtain said that the allegations levelled against the government by certain political leaders by issuing videos were entirely false.

"People are under the mistaken impression that the government is using bulldozers or hammers (for demolition), but that is not the case at all. The construction work is being carried out with the full consent of the family," he said.

Sibtain explained that, after the reconstruction, a museum dedicated to items associated with the shehnai maestro will be established on the first floor.