Indore removes signboards after BJP leader flags 'Religious' names

The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has removed several street signboards in the city’s Chandan Nagar area after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader raised objections, claiming the roads were renamed on the basis of a “particular religion.” Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav on Thursday said legal action would be taken against a local ward councillor accused of “illegally” renaming the streets. “The matter has been investigated, and instructions have been given for action against the councillor responsible,” the mayor said.The controversy surfaced after former BJP MLA Akash Vijayvargiya, son of state Urban Development and Housing Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, wrote to IMC commissioner Shivam Verma alleging that civic staff had installed signboards carrying names associated with one religion. He warned of an agitation if the boards were not removed immediately.According to Bhargav, ward councillor Fatma Rafiq Khan had unlawfully renamed five streets in Ward No. 2 and ensured the signboards were put up through corporation employees. The boards have since been removed, and legal proceedings have been initiated, he added.

#WATCH | Indore, Madhya Pradesh: On Congress Councillor renaming streets to Muslim names, Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav says, " According to our information, Councillor of Ward 2 put signs on the streets with the changed names illegally, without any permission or an MIC proposal. As… pic.twitter.com/6AjAmhC35A

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However, the councillor’s husband Rafiq Khan rejected the allegation, saying residents of the densely populated area had, two years ago, requested the civic body to put up boards for public convenience. He maintained that the names used on the signboards had been in common use locally for around four decades. “We have no objection to their removal, but we will meet the mayor to present our side,” he said.One of the disputed boards carried the name Sakina Manzil Road alongside Chandan Nagar Sector-B Ward No. 2 for the same street. Another displayed Raza Gate as well as Loha Gate Road. Similarly, Gausia Road was mentioned alongside Chandu Wala Road.According to information,local resident Abdul Wahid Khan said the boards reflected names long used by residents. “The removal of these boards will obviously cause difficulty in locating addresses,” he noted.