Shaheed Bhagat Singh Roundabout in Lahore

Commonly known as Fawara Chowk (Fountain Roundabout), the formal name, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk roundabout, has been the source of contestation since 2016. The roundabout is directly adjacent to the former prison where Sikh Marxist-Revolutionary Bhagat Singh was executed in 1931 by the British. Since then, the prison has been demolished and replaced with a commercial centre and a large market. There has been a small memorial to Singh at the centre of the Chowk since the construction of the square. This case analyses the conflict around the memorialisation of a man whose religious and ethnic identity is perceived to be at odds with the characterisation of Pakistan today.