Varanasi: A political row has erupted over the demolition of a portion of the house of late shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan in Varanasi.
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of showing disrespect to the Bharat Ratna recipient, while the city’s civic body has blamed Khan’s family, saying they carried out the demolition of their own accord after refusing an offer of a museum at the place.
Yadav called the demolition “utterly reprehensible,” and posted: “What more can you expect from those for whom the shehnai did not play?”
“The BJP and their narrow-minded allies are always against art and artistes because these orthodox conservatives have a narrow mindset: creative people are the ones who lay the groundwork and create the conditions for social change,” he posted on X on Saturday.
“Positive art fosters empathy and tolerance. That is why they see every form of art as an obstacle to their agenda, or else want to use art for their own agenda and turn it negative,” the SP chief said.
“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 India. The BJP is harming the country by burning in the fire of hatred. Once in government, we will build a ‘listening museum’ to preserve the musical legacy of Bharat Ratna Bismillah Khan,” he added.
Officials of the Varanasi Municipal Corporation, however, said the family members of the late maestro carried out the demolition of their own accord after refusing the civic body’s offer of a museum at the place, as reported by The Telegraph Online.
While the municipal corporation had sent a notice regarding its dilapidated condition, there was an internal family dispute over the proposed demolition, they said.
Once the dispute was resolved, the family demolished portions of the house to redevelop it independently, the officials claimed.
“The Varanasi Municipal Corporation has initiated a project to honour the city’s eminent personalities,” Sandeep Srivastava, the civic body’s public relations officer, said.
“This includes developing the roads leading to their residences based on themes reflecting their lives and contributions, as well as converting a room within each of their homes into a museum.
“In this context, discussions were held with the family of Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan regarding the establishment of a museum at his residence,” he said.
“However, the family did not give their consent to this proposal. 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.
The property owner was demolishing the house himself and the municipal corporation had previously issued a notice regarding its poor condition, Chowk police station house officer 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.