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Did Modi Govt Rename Five Roads In Delhi Named After 'Mughal' Rulers? No, Viral Claim Is False!
Delhi, 27 May 2022 10:37 AM GMT
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The viral post claims that the Modi Government has influenced the renaming of roads in Delhi due to the alleged historical acts of slavery committed by the Muslim rulers after whom the roads are named. The Logical Indian fact check team verified the viral claim.
A viral infographic showing the names of several roads in Delhi along with images of historical personalities is making the rounds on social media. The image has gone viral in the context of the rapid spread of misinformation across social media targeting Muslims.
Recently, the Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta had written to the New Delhi Municipal Council, demanding that roads named after Mughal emperors should be renamed, as they "symbolize Muslim slavery". The Delhi Congress chief Anil Kumar Choudhary accused the BJP of attempting to spew social unrest through this demand.
Claim:
The viral image is an infographic with header text in bold stating, "Modi Govt has Broken the Old Shackles of Slavery By Renaming Delhi's Major Roads"
Then the post states that, Tughlaq Road was renamed as Guru Gobind Singh Marg, Aurangzeb Lane as APJ Abdul Kalam Marg, Humayun Road as Maharishi Valmiki Road, Akbar Road as Maharana Pratap Marg, and Shahjahan Road as General Bipin Rawat Road.
The viral post claims that the Modi Government has influenced the renaming of roads in Delhi due to the alleged historical acts of slavery committed by the Muslim rulers after whom the roads are named.
Nation With Namo page shared this post which has got 18K+ likes and 6.2k shares.
A Twitter user wrote, "This is an admirable step. Mughal and British relics, whether monuments, plaques, or anything else, should be removed. Indians own India. Everything should adhere to Indian culture and tradition."
The image has gone massively viral across social media as can be seen here.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian fact check team verified the viral claim and found it to be false. Only Aurangzeb road name has been changed so far that too in 2015.
Tughlaq Road and Guru Gobind Singh Marg:
We conducted a keyword search for each of the locations provided in the viral image. For Tughlaq Road and Guru Gobind Singh Marg, we found that these were two different roads located in Delhi.
As per GeoIQ, a locational intelligence platform, the Tughlaq Road extends for a distance of 0.76 km in the Chanakya Puri region of New Delhi.
Meanwhile, the Guru Gobind Singh Marg runs at a distance of approximately 1 km from Maha Rishi Dayanand Mandir to Malviya Nagar Chowk as per data from MapMyIndia. The road is located in Malviya Nagar in Delhi.
Akbar Road and Maharana Pratap Marg:
Akbar Road had landed under controversy in 2016 due to another renaming demand. General Vijay Kumar Singh had demanded that Akbar Road be renamed Maharana Pratap Singh Road, claiming that the Mughal Emperor was an "invader."
As per this The Hindu article, the road stretches from the India Gate roundabout at the north-east end to the Teen Murti roundabout at the south-west end. The road also houses the head office of the Indian National Congress.
On May 9, 2018, the road signboard which stated Akbar Road was obscured by a poster that proclaimed it as "Maharana Pratap Road".
The sign was put up on the birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap, as per this video report by Hindustan Times. The poster was removed under police supervision and since then there has been no new poster added on the signboard.
Aurangzeb Lane and Dr. APJ Abdul Marg:
In September 2015, Aurangzeb Road in Delhi's Lutyens Zone was renamed Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road.
As per this NDTV report published on August 28, 2015, the road was renamed following a written request by BJP MP Mahesh Girri suggesting that Aurangzeb Road should be named after Dr Kalam.
Dr Kalam had passed away that year on July 27. Mahesh Girri had touted the renaming of the road as, "a great way of preserving his memories and legacy forever." He also stated that Aurangzeb was remembered for cruelty while Dr Kalam would be known for his generosity and kindness. "We need to correct the mistakes made in our history." he had stated. According to a report of Hindustan Times, the decision to rename the road faced opposition from Muslim groups. The groups alleged that renaming the roads is an attempt to distort history.
Humayun Road and Maharishi Valmiki Road; Shahjahn Road and General Bipin Rawat Road:
According to a report of The Print published on 10 May 2022, the Delhi unit of the BJP has asked the New Delhi Municipal Council to rename roads with "Mughal" names.
Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta has requested that roads such as Akbar Road, Humayun Road, Shahjahan Road, and Aurangzeb Lane be renamed. "Even after so many years of independence, even today the names of some of the roads of Delhi give us a glimpse of the Mughal-era slavery," he stated in the letter. Gupta suggested renaming Humayun Road after Maharishi Valmiki. "Humayun Road should be renamed as Maharishi Valmiki Road after the creator of the epic Ramayana, who through the life of Shri Ram, introduces us to the truth and duty of life," he stated in the letter.
He also requested Shahjahan Road to be named after the former Army chief and India's first Chief of Defence Staff, the late General Bipin Rawat.
What Is The Process for Renaming Roads in Delhi?
As per a document issued on the naming/renaming of roads in Delhi, which was uploaded on Delhi's Government website, the naming of roads in Delhi requires approval from the New Delhi Municipal Corporation. The document states that the government would not usually rename roads which already have been named. Only new roads and streets would be considered for naming after eminent personalities.
Guidelines for renaming the roads are also stated in this Indian Express report dated August 7, 2020.
We also found a document issued by the NDMC which asserted the same.
Conclusion:
Our investigation shows that roads such as Tughlaq Road and Guru Gobind Singh Marg exist independently and at a distance. In the case of Akbar Road and Maharana Pratap Marg, the poster which proclaimed the road as Maharana Pratap Marg was removed under police supervision and since then there has been no new poster added to the signboard.
The claim that the BJP government has renamed Humayun Road and Shahjahan Road is false as it is currently a request made by Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta to the NDMC. Only Aurangzeb Lane was renamed as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road in 2015, however, it took place in 2015 following the death of Dr Kalam. It can be ascertained that the claim in the social media post is false.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
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