Bhopal civic body wants to rename institutions named after last nawab Hamidullah Khan

“We have formally sent the proposal to the commissioner, and the state government will also soon take a call on the name change. We have been demanding this for the past two years, and finally, the moment has arrived,” Suryavanshi said.

The Opposition in the corporation has approached the High Court against the move.

The institutions that the corporation has earmarked for a name change are Hamidia Hospital, which is a multispeciality tertiary care teaching hospital, Hamidia College, and Hamidia School. According to historians, these institutions have been known not just as educational and healthcare facilities but as cultural landmarks that connect present-day Bhopal with its princely past.

There is no proposal yet on what the institutions would be renamed as.

On the reason behind the push to change the names, Suryavanshi said, “There is a history behind this. These institutions are named after Hamidullah Khan, the last nawab of Bhopal, who did not want Bhopal to be part of India. He had to reluctantly hand over Bhopal after a massive agitation from the local community. Why should institutions be named after such a man?”

Leader of Opposition in the Bhopal Municipal Corporation, Shabista Zaki, told The Indian Express that she has approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court against the decision, saying the proposal was passed without a debate.

“There was no proposal in the agenda. We have given a complaint to the Chief Secretary. There was no debate, and they just secretly passed this. There is no legality to it,” Zaki said.

Hamidia Hospital, earlier known as the Prince of Wales King Edward Memorial Hospital for Men, is affiliated to Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal. Before 1927, it was a small hospital with 25 beds in a building that now houses the city kotwali. The hospital was eventually expanded over the next few decades and was later built inside the Fatehgarh Fort.

Bhopal-based historian Shahnawaz Khan, who has written a book on Bhopal history titled ‘Bhopal Riyasat ka Itihaas (1722-1949)’ is also planning on approaching the High Court over the decision.

“History is being distorted. Nawab Hamidullah joined India in 1949 itself and has built over 300 institutions… which were handed over to India. During that time, he had kept the signing of the accession a secret from the population of Bhopal, as there was a sentiment for independent rule… He was known for his administrative contributions and also built a school for girls. You can’t call him a traitor.”

Bhopal has seen a spate of name changes in recent years. The city’s iconic Habibganj railway station was renamed in 2021 after Rani Kamalapati, the Gond princess who ruled the region in the 18th century. In January this year, the state government had renamed 11 villages in Bhopal.

There has also been a demand to change the name of the city itself to ‘Bhojpal’, after the medieval Parmar ruler Raja Bhoj. The Madhya Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, has not yet taken a stand on this issue.