Bhopal university drops freedom fighter Mohamed Barakatullah Bhopali’s name

Barkatullah University in Bhopal will be renamed Vagdevi Bhojpal University, the Navbharat Times reported on Thursday.

“Vagdevi” is another name for the Hindu goddess of knowledge, Saraswati, and “Bhojpal” is a reference to King Bhoj.

King Bhoj was an 11th-century Paramara dynasty king who ruled the Malwa region of central India. He is said to have founded the city of Bhopal.

The institute’s executive council has accepted the long-standing proposal to rename it and the decision will need to be approved by the Madhya Pradesh governor, who is the university’s chancellor.

In 1988, the university was named after Mohamed Barakatullah Bhopali, a freedom fighter from the city. Born in 1854, Bhopali served as prime minister of India’s first provisional government-in-exile, established in Afghanistan between 1915 and 1919.

The new name is aimed at reflecting the historical and cultural heritage of Bhopal, NDTV quoted the proposal as having stated.

The proposal accepted by the university’s executive council said that as compared to King Bhoj, “no significant contribution” to the region made by Bhopali was evident other than him having been a resident of the city, NDTV reported.

In August, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation passed a proposal to rename three institutions in the city named after Hamidullah Khan, the last nawab of Bhopal.

Several landmarks in Bhopal have been renamed in the last few years. In...

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