Organisations of teachers and students have rallied against a proposal to rename Barkatullah University in Bhopal as “Vagdevi Bhojpal University”, saying the move was aimed at erasing the legacy of freedom fighter Maulana Barkatullah.
The university’s executive council on Wednesday approved the name-change proposal and forwarded it to the chancellor for approval.
The All India Federation of Universities and College Teachers’ Organisations (AIFUCTO), an association of teachers of state government institutions, and the SFI have expressed anguish over the proposal.
“Maulana Barkatullah was a pioneering revolutionary, scholar and Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of India in Kabul. He dedicated his life to India’s freedom struggle. Renaming the university amounts to erasing the legacy of a national hero who transcended religious boundaries,” said the statement issued by AIFUCTO president Prof. A. Nisanth and general secretary Arun Kumar.
It said public universities were repositories of collective memory. Replacing the name of a freedom fighter with mythological or cultural symbols would set a dangerous precedent of rewriting history to meet political ends, it added.
“Universities must uphold secular, democratic and inclusive values enshrined in our Constitution. This move polarises the academic community and disrespects the pluralistic heritage of Indian education.... India needs more funding for research, faculty recruitment, and infrastructure — not the name changes,” it said, demanding the withdrawal of the proposal.
The SFI said the decision of the executive council conformed to a pattern promoted by the Sangh Parivar to advance its “agenda of communalism”.
It said the proposal was argued as a measure to "restore historical, cultural and civilisational identities while honouring local heroes, freedom fighters and tribal icons.... However, the situation clearly indicates the implementation of Hindutva political practice where various historic figures and freedom fighters are being erased and replaced with religious icons”.
