Kalyan’s 26/11 memorial disappears from a busy junction; residents call it “pure negligence”; While the statues of Mahatma Phule and Dr BR Ambedkar still stand at the location, the 26/11 memorial, once placed at the centre of the traffic circle, is now missing
The original 26/11 memorial at Mahatma Phule Chowk in Kalyan, before it deteriorated. File pic/mid-day archives (right) The traffic circle where the 26/11 memorial once stood, now completely removed. Pic/Aishwarya Iyer
As Mumbai readies to observe the 17th anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks, a memorial installed in Kalyan in 2009 to honour five police personnel killed in the assault has quietly vanished from its spot. While a senior police official said the structure had become unsafe after a speeding vehicle crashed into it, officials from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) insist the junction is undergoing major redevelopment under the SATIS project and the memorial may have been removed during preliminary work for Flyover A, now under construction and scheduled for completion by the New Year.
The memorial stood at Mahatma Phule Chowk, a bustling junction on the Kalyan-Murbad Road and surrounded by key institutions including the Mahatma Phule police station, Kalyan railway station, Ambedkar Garden, Rukminibai Civic Hospital, the traffic police office, tehsildar office and the Kalyan court. While the statues of Mahatma Phule and Dr BR Ambedkar still stand at the location, the 26/11 memorial, once placed at the centre of the traffic circle, is now missing.
The statue of Mahatma Phule still stands at Mahatma Phule Chowk
“This used to be a proper memorial when it was first installed. Over the years, it just started falling apart. Nobody maintained it,” said Niranjan Sangvi, a commuter who uses the junction daily. Another passerby added, “It was meant to honour martyrs, but the railings were used to dry clothes. People stopped noticing it.” The original installation featured a rifle standing upright with a helmet placed on top and boots arranged at the base, an emblem used worldwide to signify fallen soldiers. Over time, the structure lost its boundary, visual identity and protective elements, eventually deteriorating into a neglected traffic island.
KDMC speaks
“As far as I know, the memorial must have been removed due to the ongoing construction work for Flyover A,” said Jagdish Kore, executive engineer, PWD. “I have been with SKDCL and the Smart City project for only a year. During this period, there was no memorial at Mahatma Phule Chowk. No changes have been made to the Mahatma Phule statue or the Dr BR Ambedkar statue, which stand at opposite ends of the road, unlike the 26/11 memorial that was located in the middle. It is possible the memorial was removed for construction work before I took charge,” said Rohini Girish Lokare, executive engineer (Special Projects), SKDCL.
Residents react
“It’s just negligence, what else?” said Kalyan resident Nayana KS. “Authorities don’t care about 26/11 or the common people. For years, the memorial was a dumpster, and now it has disappeared.” Another resident, Rahul Deshpande, said, “It’s better it’s gone. Watching it covered in filth was more disrespectful to the martyrs.”
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
