Bhopal civic body seeks to rename institutions named after Nawab Hamidullah Khan

The Bhopal Municipal Corporation has approved a proposal to rename three institutions in the city currently named after Hamidullah Khan, the last nawab of Bhopal, The Indian Express reported. The institutions in question are Hamidia Hospital, Hamidia College, and Hamidia School.

Municipal body president Kishan Suryavanshi said the resolution was passed in June and a formal proposal was later sent to the municipal commissioner for approval, with the state government expected to make the final decision. “We have formally sent the proposal to the commissioner, and the state government will also soon take a call on the name change,” he told the newspaper. “We have been demanding this for the past two years, and finally, the moment has arrived.”

Suryavanshi argued that the institutions should not bear Hamidullah Khan’s name, claiming the former nawab opposed Bhopal’s integration into India after independence. “He had to reluctantly hand over Bhopal after a massive agitation from the local community,” he said. “Why should institutions be named after such a man?”

However, the Leader of Opposition in the municipal body, Shabista Zaki, has challenged the decision by filing a petition in the Madhya Pradesh High Court. She alleged procedural irregularities, claiming there was no proposal on the agenda, no debate, and that the resolution was passed “secretly.” Zaki said a complaint has also been lodged with the Chief Secretary.

The move comes amid a broader trend of renaming landmarks in Bhopal. In 2021, the city’s Habibganj railway station was renamed after Kamlapati, a Gond princess who ruled the region in the 18th century. Earlier this year, the state government also renamed 11 villages in the Bhopal district.