Tales behind five Delhi-NCR roads named after patriots in India’s freedom struggle

Here are profiles of five lesser-known people who have significantly contributed in attaining Independence. 
Captain Shashikant Sharma
Captain Shashikant Sharma

Ahead of Independence Day, we profile five lesser-known people who have significantly contributed in attaining Independence from the British Raj or maintaining that hard-earned freedom after 1947.

Captain Shashikant Sharma
Capt Sharma was martyred on Oct 5, 1998, by heavy shelling from across the border while he was on duty defending his post, Bana LP, in Siachen glacier at a height of over 21,000 ft. He was awarded Sena Medal posthumously.The Noida Authority named the road that passes from the front of his house in Sector 37 as Capt Shashikant Marg and the roundabout ahead as Shashikant Chowk.

Rao Tula Ram
He was one of the key leaders of the First War of Independence. He led the forces which temporarily drove away the British soldiers from southwest Haryana. Born on December 9, 1825, in a royal Ahir Yadav family in Rewari, Haryana, he was named the ruler at age 14 when his father died of pneumonia. Tula Ram’s forces fought against the British on November 16, 1857, on the outskirts of Narnaul and later, he joined the force of Tantiya Tope. In South Delhi, there is a road and a flyover named after this son of the soil.

Captain Sameer Bhan
Capt Sameer Bhan of 11 Jat Regiment laid down his life in an IED blast while rescuing polling officials and injured officials of the India Reserve Battalion at Imphal in 2002. Despite being severely wounded, he carried on the operation that prevented further loss of life. His parents, as well as his new bride, took a backseat while he fought with the Ultras in the North-East. There is a road named after him at Vasundhara Enclave. Significantly, it wasn’t some politician who mooted the idea of naming the road, but the local residents who held a series of dharnas to have this road named after the young boy who once lived among them. 

Balwant Rai Mehta
Considered as the architect of Panchayati Raj in India, Balwant Rai Mehta was the second Chief Minister of Gujarat. In 1920, at the age of 20, Mehta joined the Non-Cooperation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. In 1921, he founded Bhavanagar Praja Mandal to motivate the youth to participate in the freedom movement. He also participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement from 1930 to 1932 and Bardoli Satyagraha , led by Vallabhbhai Patel. He was also jailed for three years for participating in the Quit India Movement (1942).A lane named after Mehta exists on Kasturba Gandhi Marg in the heart of New Delhi.
 

Captain Haneef Uddin
Capt Haneef Uddin served during the early days of Kargil war in 1999. He was a part of the battalion of 11 Rajputana Rifles posted in Turtuk region, involved in Operation Thunderbolt, at an altitude of 18,000 ft. The job at hand was to capture a position in the region which would help monitor enemy movement. Leading his men from the front, the young Captain continued fighting even when he ran out of ammunition. His body could never be recovered – he was awarded Vir Chakra for his valour.
There is a school named after him in Mayur Vihar Phase I – Shaheed Capt Haneef Uddin Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya. 

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