11 Muslim Villages in India Renamed to Erase Islamic History
In a controversial move, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav, announced the renaming of 11 villages in the state to align with public sentiments. This decision comes amidst growing demands from locals to change the names of specific villages. During a speech at an event in Shajapur, Yadav revealed the new names of these villages, stripping away their Islamic associations.
Renaming of Villages
The villages that underwent name changes include Mohammadpur Machhanai, now known as Mohanpur; Dhabla Hussainpur renamed to Dhabla Ram; Mohammadpur Pawadiya changed to Rampur Pawadiya; Unchhod transformed into Unchavad; and Khajuri Alahdad became Khajuri Ram. Additionally, Hajipur was rebranded as Heerapur, Nipaniya Hisamuddin as Nipaniya Dev, Reechdi Muradabad as Ritchdi, Khalilpur as Rampur, Ghatti Mukhtiyarpur as Ghatti, and Syekhpur Bongi as Avadhpuri.
During the meeting, Yadav emphasized that the new names of villages and towns would better reflect the sentiments of the local community. He stated that the requests to change these names came directly from the people, and he was simply responding to their desires.
Local Sentiments Reflected in New Names
“When people expressed concerns that certain names were displeasing, I felt responsible to address them. If there is no Mohammad in Mohammadpur Machhanai, why should we retain such a name? If there are Muslim residents, they can keep their names. But if not, these names will be changed,” stated Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
“We have 33 crore gods in our culture, so these names can be inspired by any one of them,” he added.
In a similar move last week, Yadav altered the names of three villages in Ujjain district. Gajnikhedi Panchayat was transformed into Chamunda Mata village, Jahangirpur became Jagdishpur, and the village of Maulana was renamed Vikram Nagar.
This decision has sparked debates and discussions about the erasure of Islamic history in India and the impact of such actions on communal harmony. It remains to be seen how these changes will resonate with the residents of these villages and the larger Indian community.
