The Bhopal Municipal Corporation has decided to change the “cruel” names of two areas in Madhya Pradesh’s capital at the insistence of local MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.
Bhopal’s Halalpur bus stand’s name has been changed to Hanumangarhi bus stand and the area’s name has been changed to Hanumangarh. The corporation also renamed Lalghati Chauraha to Narayan Das Sarveshwar Chauraha.
The proposal to change the names was passed with a majority vote at the council meeting.
“We will change history completely by changing the names of places in the Mughal era,” Sadhvi Pragya said.
Explaining the rationale behind her demand, Sadhvi Pragya said, “Halal means to cut the throats of animals and leave them to die by suffering. So, the name reflects cruelty and it should not be used as a name for any place. We must change this cruel history of words, hence, I proposed the name change of Halalpur bus stand.”
On the question of Lalghati, Sadhvi Pragya told the council, “I want to propose one more name change for the Lalghati chauraha name as the Lalghati name reminds me of the cruel death of numerous soldiers by deceit, in which the son of Rani Kamplapati, Naval Shah, was also killed. There is an ancient temple of Shivji, and that’s why it should be named Narayan Das Sarveshwar Chauraha.”
Last year, Habibganj railway station’s name was changed to Rani Kamlapati railway station after the name of Gond queen Rani Kamlapati. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the renamed railway station.
“Rani Kamlapati is the pride of the Gond community and the last Hindu queen of Bhopal. Her kingdom was usurped by Afghan commander Dost Mohammed through deceit and a conspiracy. When she saw that victory was not possible, she committed ‘Jal Jauhar’ (a practise of committing suicide) to save her respect,” CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan said at the time of its inauguration.