The first memorial to the Great Uprising of 1857 is in the form of a tall pillar within the Shaheed Smarak complex of Meerut, opposite the Income Tax Office.

This is one of the most imposing monuments of North Western Uttar Pradesh. It is in the form of a pillar with the `Ashok Stambh’ at its pinnacle. It was constructed in 1957, on the 100th anniversary of the War of Indian Independence 1857. It lies in the midst of a beautiful public garden./p>

The grounds within which the pillar exists are called Shaheed Smarak. The whole area was in an utter state of neglect for nearly 20 long years. Someone had planted Eucalyptus trees all around the complex which had grown to such a height that they had completely overshadowed the original memorial pillar. A scrub jungle had taken over the whole compound and water from the adjoining large drain which flows along the northern wall of the complex had formed a large dirt pond in the north-west corner of the compound. Criminal elements operating around the nearby Bus Stand and drug addicts had made the compound their home.

A series of meetings were undertaken by the Commissioner of Meerut Division, Mr. Rajeev Kumar and he undertook a personal survey of the Shaheed Smarak complex with all the officials of the Meerut Development Authority and other government functionaries including officers of the PWD.

The process of renovation of the Shaheed Smarak was started by the Meerut Development Authority on the 2nd of October, 2004, Gandhi Jayanti. The following tasks were undertaken in a record time by the authority which is a lesson for all development agencies of our country as to how work can be achieved under the guidance of good leadership –

The whole work was finished before 26th January, 2005, the day the project was inaugurated by Mr. Rajeev Kumar.