Spree of name changes continues under Modi as Bhopal’s Barkatullah University set to be renamed
Bhopal: The relentless spree of name changes under the Modi-led BJP government continues in India, with Barkatullah University in Bhopal now on the verge of being renamed in a blatant bid to erase the legacy of freedom fighters.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the university’s Executive Council has unanimously approved a resolution to change the name to Maa Vagdevi Bhojpal University. The proposal will now be sent to the Madhya Pradesh government for final approval and notification.
University Registrar Samar Bahadur Singh confirmed the development, stating the Council passed the proposal during a meeting this week and a formal letter will be sent to the state administration. The move has renewed public interest in Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali, the freedom fighter after whom the university was named in 1988.
Born in Bhopal in 1854, he was a prominent revolutionary and served as Prime Minister of the provisional Indian government set up in Kabul in December 1915 during World War I. He travelled across Japan, US, Germany, Afghanistan and Soviet Russia, campaigning internationally for India’s independence and meeting Vladimir Lenin after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Academics, students and historians have questioned whether renaming the institution will diminish recognition of a freedom fighter whose contribution to the anti-colonial struggle remains significant.
“Institutions named after freedom fighters serve as reminders of sacrifices made during the independence movement and should retain those names,” observers said.
