Bid to rename Barkatullah University as ‘Vagdevi Bhojpal University’ sparks political controversy in Bhopal

The executive council of Bhopal Barkatullah University has passed a resolution to change the name of the government-run institution to ‘Vagdevi Bhopal University’, drawing sharp reactions from opposition parties in Madhya Pradesh.

On Wednesday (June 3, 2026), the executive council passed a resolution to rename the university after Goddess Saraswati, who is also known as Vagdevi and the ancient name of the city Bhojpal, which it retained after the Parma dynasty ruler King Bhoji, Vice-Chancellor Suresh Kumar Jain told The Hindu.

Mr. Jain said the resolution was passed unanimously by the council and sent to Governor Mangubhai Patel’s officer, who is also the chancellor, for concurrence.

“Then the proposal will be sent to the government for a decision. The name was proposed by councilor Dhirendra Chaturvedi. Bhojpal is also an old name of the city, so the council agreed to merge it with goddess Vagdevi,” he said, adding that there have been demands to change the name of the university for several years.

Established in 1970 and originally called Bhopal University, the institution was named after Muhammad Barkatullah Bhopal, a freedom fighter and scholar, in 1988 during former chief minister Arjun Singh’s Congress rule. Bhopali also served as Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of India, the first Indian government-in-exile to be established in Kabul.

However, Mr. Jain said there were “disputable claims” about Barkatullah Bhopali’s contributions to the freedom movement.

“Some people say that he fought against a freedom fighter, but there is no record of him living or fighting in India. He lived most of his life outside the country and claims that he worked for independence from there are also not strong,” the VC said.

However, a biography on the BU website says he is “Chairman of India’s ‘Government-in-Exile’, fiery journalist, brilliant orator, erudite Islamic scholar, nationalist to the core and author”. Born in Bhopal on July 7, 1854, he moved to London for higher education and lived and worked in the United Kingdom and the United States before he died in San Francisco on September 20, 1927.

“Barkatullah campaigned from outside India with fiery speeches and revolutionary writings in leading newspapers for Indian independence. In response to British Prime Minister (William Ewart) Gladstone’s racist comments about India, he launched a barrage of articles and speeches criticizing the policy,” reads the biography article.

Council member Professor Tahira Abbasi objected to the resolution, saying the current name was a tribute to the freedom fighter. However, her arguments did not find much support among the other members.

When asked, Mr. Jain said, “She mentioned that she is a freedom fighter, but when asked about Bhopali’s contribution, she also could not say much.”

Congress MLA from Bhopal (Central) Arif Masood slammed the proposal and said there is a need for the government and universities to hold discussions on the future of NEET-UG candidates due to the paper leak.

“Why don’t you start a new university named after Vagdevi ji? We welcome it. But removing the name that was there for 38 years and saying who the person was is wrong,” he said, adding that he had sought the governor’s time on the matter.

Mr. Masood also urged Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to prevent defamation of the freedom fighter’s name.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) also took on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), calling the offer an “insult to the anti-imperialist struggle” of the freedom movement.

“The attempt to rename a university founded in honor of such a distinguished freedom fighter clearly shows that the BJP and RSS are conspiring to destroy the legacy of the freedom struggle,” CPI-M state secretary Jaswinder Singh said.

The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress party, protested the move by organizing a “Havana” procession outside the university.

A senior official of the university denied that there were any serious demands to change the name and highlighted various problems faced by the institution such as delay in salaries of staff and poor infrastructure for students.

“The management is barely paying attention to the genuine demands of the students and staff, but it seems that a few people from the top brass decided to call a sudden meeting and push the resolution. Neither the ABVP nor any right-wing bodies demanded the name change,” said the official, requesting anonymity.

If the government accepts the proposal, it will have to issue a notification in this regard and also bring an amendment to the Madhya Pradesh University Act, 1973, which governs BU.

Published – 05 Jun 2026 04:20 IST