Eight-year-old Ananya Yadav never thought a moment of desperation would turn her into a symbol of resilience. Until a few days ago, she was just another student at the Government Primary School in Uttar Pradesh’s Arai locality, clutching her dreams tightly like the worn-out straps of her schoolbag. But on March 21, everything changed.
That morning, Ananya had returned from school and placed her bag in the thatched shed outside their modest home in Ajaiypur village, unaware of the storm that was about to descend upon them. Her family had lived there for decades. Her grandfather, Ram Milan Yadav, said, “I settled on this land when I was a young man." But the administration had other plans.
Until a few days ago, she was just another student at the Government Primary School in Uttar Pradesh’s Arai locality. Pics/News18
The first sign of trouble came in the form of a loud announcement: “All encroachments must be removed!" A legal battle was ongoing, but the bulldozers did not wait for the court’s verdict. Within moments, the settlement was in chaos. Families scrambled to salvage whatever they could, children crying as they watched their homes crumble into clouds of dust and debris.
Ananya’s father, Abhishek, a daily wage labourer, told News18 that he pleaded with officials, while her grandfather tried to explain, “We have lived on this land for fifty years." But bureaucracy, observers say, moves without compassion. And in its path, it left devastation.
As the bulldozers roared to life, the little girl noticed a sudden flicker of orange — the thatched shed next to hers had caught fire. The sight sent a shiver down her spine. “My books!" she gasped. Her school bag was still inside.
“I was afraid my books and bag would get burnt," she later said. Without thinking, she broke free from her mother’s grasp and dashed toward the shed, smoke stinging her eyes. In one swift motion, she grabbed her bag and turned on her heels, sprinting away from the destruction.
A bystander caught the moment on camera. A frail figure, running barefoot, a pink bag bouncing against her back, her small hands clutching her books tightly — her only treasures. The dust swirled around her, the cries of displaced families echoing behind. In that instant, she was not just a child; she was a symbol of a generation fighting for a future against the weight of uncertainty.
Ananya said she had never thought that a video of her running with the bag would catch the attention of the Supreme Court. During a hearing on Tuesday, a bench of Justices AS Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan cited the video that had gone viral online and said it had “shocked everyone".
“There is a recent video in which small huts are being demolished by bulldozers. A small girl is running away from the demolished hut with a clutch of books in her hand. It has shocked everyone," Justice Bhuyan observed.
The video spread like wildfire. But to Ananya, all of this was incomprehensible. “Bahut neta log aa rahe hain. Kuch samajh mein nahi aa raha (A lot of leaders are coming. All this is difficult to understand)," her father said, confused by the sudden attention.
Ananya told News18 that the only thing that was running in her mind was saving her books, which her school teacher says are the only key to her dream of becoming an IAS officer. “IAS officer banungi, taaki koi bhi nirdosh atyachar ya prashasanik udasinata ka shikar na ho (I want to be an IAS officer so no innocent is tormented or faces the indifference of the administration)," she said.
Despite public outrage, the Ambedkar Nagar administration defended the demolition, stating that it was conducted in compliance with a revenue court order.
“This action was taken to remove encroachments from government land, following an ejection order (case number T202404040205504) issued by the Jalalpur Tehsildar’s court. Multiple notices were given before clearing the non-residential structures," a police spokesperson stated.
Pawan Jaiswal, sub-divisional magistrate, Jalalpur, said that the district administration had served Ram Milan Yadav a notice two months ago to clear the encroached land. “When we went to clear it, they started protesting. We do not know how one of the thatched structures caught fire, but it was brought under control. Later, one of the structures was demolished, but it was all non-residential," he said.
The shocking visuals of the demolition triggered a political storm, with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav condemning the action as a reflection of the state’s deteriorating condition.
Yadav posted on social media site X, stating, “Eight years, UP ruined, and only questions remain." He also shared an AI-generated image of a girl clutching books while a bulldozer loomed behind her, clearly alluding to the Ambedkar Nagar incident.
A day earlier, he had posted another sharp attack: “In Ambedkar Nagar, a government official is demolishing people’s homes to assert his authority, forcing a young girl to run to save her books. These are the same BJP leaders who say ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ (Save the daughter, educate the daughter)!"
Yadav’s remark appeared to reference a controversial IAS officer’s land, which was right across from the demolished shanties — raising questions about selective action.
The Uttar Pradesh Congress also shared the video on X, further fueling the political heat. “From the shanty being razed by the bulldozer, a little girl saved her most precious possession — books! This video is a disgrace to those in power who snatch books from children’s hands and the roof over their heads," the party wrote, targeting the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government.
