National Alliance of Street Vendor of India

The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) has come up with a genuine cause of setting up a memorial in the name of Saheed Abdul Rafique Khan, President, “Saptahik Bazaar Evam Dukandar Samiti (BEDS)”, Lucknow, who immolated himself in front of Lucknow Nagar Nigam (LNN) Commissioner’s office on 10^th of May, 2005, Tuesday. He had to take up this extreme step to force LNN officials to respond to the demands of the Saptahik Bazaar Evam Dukandar Samiti (BEDS) seeking cancellation of the teh-bazaari contract worth Rs.40 lakh allotted to an alleged don-turned-politician who was forcibly extracting illegal money several times more then the rates fixed by the government for pavement shops. Prior to taking this severe step he made a peaceful protest agitation outside the LNN office for 40 days, but when the LNN officials did not paid any head to the cries of the street vendors he took up the final step of sacrificing his life.