Indian state renames Mohammadpura village as Mohanpura
Name change highlights pattern of symbolic revisions in BJP-ruled Indian states targeting Muslim-linked identities
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — The government of the western Indian state of Rajasthan has officially changed the name of Mohammadpura village to Mohanpura, marking the latest instance of renaming settlements with Muslim-associated names in a state governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
According to a formal notification issued by the Rajasthan Revenue Department, the village — located in Digod tehsil of Kota district — will now be recorded as Mohanpura across all government documents, including land records, schools and administrative offices. The order follows approvals from both the state and central governments.
Mohammadpura lies in southeastern Rajasthan, about 46 kilometers from the Digod sub-district headquarters, near the banks of the Chambal River. Administratively, it falls under the Piplada Assembly constituency, represented in India’s parliament by Om Birla, who also serves as Speaker of the lower house.
State officials said the renaming was carried out at the request of local residents. The village has around six dozen households and is inhabited entirely by Hindus, with no Muslim families currently living there.
Authorities cited this demographic composition to justify revising what they described as a “historical mismatch” between the village’s name and its population.
Local accounts cited in administrative records indicate that the name Mohammadpura dates back to the princely state era, when a police outpost in-charge named Mohammad served in the area. The name was subsequently entered into official records and retained for decades, including after independence.
The Rajasthan government has recently undertaken similar changes. In another case, Khedarasulpur village in the Kaithun area was renamed Khedarampur, reflecting a broader pattern of revisiting place names perceived to carry Islamic or Mughal-era associations.
While state officials have framed the moves as administrative corrections driven by local demand, civil rights advocates and political analysts say such renaming exercises have become a recurring feature in BJP-ruled states, where symbolic rebranding is often tied to majoritarian cultural narratives.
Historians argue that these actions contribute to the gradual erasure of Muslim historical presence from public geography, even in places where Muslims no longer form a significant demographic group.
The renaming process involved coordination between the Rajasthan government, the Union Home Ministry and India’s Department of Science and Technology, which oversees standardization of place names in official records. Implementation will begin once district authorities issue final instructions to update local registers.
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