Who's 8-year-old girl who caught SC's attention during demolition drive
What's the story
Eight-year-old Ananya Yadav of Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, has become a symbol of resilience and hope after she was seen running with her schoolbooks as a bulldozer razed her shanty. Her family's home was destroyed in 2021 by Prayagraj civic authorities, who "mistook" the land to be that of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed. He was killed in a police encounter in 2023. The SC has since slammed the demolition drive as "illegal" and "insensitive."
Dreamer
Ananya's story: A fight for her future
Ananya, a Class 1 student of Government Primary School, Arai, loved her schoolbooks; they were her ticket to becoming an "IAS adhikari" and serving the country. So when she heard about the demolition drive on March 21, she ran to save her books from being damaged. "I returned from school and kept my bag in the chappar (thatched shed), where my mother had tied the animals," Ananya told The Indian Express.
Twitter Post
Watch the video that caught SC's attention
UP Govt bulldozer demolishing a house
— SirKazam {blu tik} (@SirKazamJeevi) March 23, 2025
A poor girl runs out holding her books to save herself & her books!
No better PR video for Modi G’s Beti Bachao Beti Padaho pic.twitter.com/Kq4YojhOVz
Backlash
Controversial demolition drive sparks public outrage
The demolition drive that Ananya's family became victims of has led to mass backlash. Police said it was done under an eviction order from the Jalalpur tehsildar court, maintaining the land was government property. However, Ananya's grandfather, Ram Milan Yadav, refuted this. He said their family has been residing on this land for almost half a century.
Legal action
Supreme Court's intervention and compensation order
The Supreme Court has intervened in the matter, ordering authorities to pay a fixed compensation of ₹10 lakh to each homeowner who approached the court within six weeks. Justice Ujjal Bhuyan expressed his concern over the demolition, stating, "There's a video where small huts are being demolished by a bulldozer, and a small girl is running away with her books. It has shocked everybody." The court emphasized that no proper notice had been given before these demolitions.