Indore: Signboards with street names removed after BJP leader's objection

The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has taken down street signboards carrying locally used names in a Muslim-majority neighbourhood, following objections from a senior BJP leader who alleged that the names were linked to a “particular religion”.

Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav confirmed on Thursday that legal action would be pursued against a ward councillor accused of renaming streets “illegally”. The matter has sparked controversy in Chandan Nagar, one of Indore’s most densely populated localities.

The row began after former BJP MLA Akash Vijayvargiya — son of Madhya Pradesh urban development and housing minister Kailash Vijayvargiya — wrote to IMC commissioner Shivam Verma. In his letter, he alleged that several roads in Chandan Nagar had been given “altered names” based on religious identity, and warned that party workers would launch an agitation if the signboards were not removed immediately.

Mayor Bhargav said councillor Fatma Rafiq Khan was responsible for the "unauthorised renaming" of five streets and for arranging the installation of the boards through civic employees. The IMC subsequently dismantled the signboards and ordered legal proceedings against her.

The councillor’s husband Rafiq Khan rejected the allegation. He said the family had requested new signboards two years ago to aid residents and visitors in navigating the crowded area. The names displayed, he insisted, were not new creations but had been in local use for more than four decades. “We did not object to the removal of the boards, but we will meet the mayor to explain our side,” Khan said.

Among the disputed boards was one that displayed 'Sakina Manzil Road' alongside the official label 'Chandan Nagar Sector-B Ward No. 2'. Another showed 'Raza Gate' as well as 'Loha Gate Road'.

Imambara in MP's Dhar handed over to PWD, Muslim body moves Supreme Court

Local resident Abdul Wahid Khan noted that one signboard combined 'Gausia Road' and 'Chandu Wala Road', reflecting how both names were commonly used.

“The removal of these boards will obviously cause difficulty in locating addresses,” he said.

The episode has drawn attention partly because of Akash Vijayvargiya’s own contentious political history. In 2019, the BJP leader was briefly jailed after he was filmed attacking a municipal official with a cricket bat during an anti-encroachment drive in Indore — an incident that sparked national criticism but also saw sections of the party rally around him. He has since remained a high-profile figure in city politics, often vocal on issues tied to civic administration and 'cultural identity', a.k.a. Islamophobia.

The controversy comes at a time when Madhya Pradesh has witnessed several flashpoints involving Muslim identity markers. Earlier this year, local authorities in Ujjain ordered the removal of Urdu signboards from shops during a civic drive, while in Khandwa, a Muslim-run eatery faced protests for displaying a name associated with Islamic heritage. In some towns, renaming campaigns have also targeted roads and squares historically linked to Muslim figures.

Rights groups have criticised these incidents as contributing to an atmosphere of Islamophobia, where everyday cultural and linguistic symbols of minority communities are portrayed as provocative or illegitimate. Opposition leaders in the state have accused the BJP of stoking communal divisions for political gain, a charge the party denies.

For now, the signboards have been removed, but the issue remains unsettled. As Abdul Wahid Khan remarked, “People will continue calling the streets by the names they know. Taking down a board doesn’t erase that.”

With PTI inputs