The city school of the Aligarh Muslim University has been renamed Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh Aligarh Muslim University City School. The university released a statement in this respect on Friday.
The late Jat king, a liberation warrior and social reformer, was a graduate of the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College, which eventually became AMU. In 1929, he leased 3.04 acres of land to the university for the construction of a school.
The decision to rename the school, according to AMU officials, was made in compliance with a resolution passed by the Executive Council on March 22, 2021. ‘The school has been renamed to honour Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh, notable AMU alumni, and President of the Provisional Government of India, which served as the Indian Government in exile during World War I from Kabul in 1915’, said the statement issued by AMU authorities.
In 2018, the descendants of the late Jat king served the university with a legal notice regarding the expiration of the land lease, but it was later decided that if AMU names its school after Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh, the land would be gifted to the university, which would then hand back the land of Tikonia park to the late king’s descendants.
Also Read: Lal Bahadur Shashtri road widening at Dharavi begins
During the debate surrounding Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s portrait in 2018, demands were made for his painting to be installed on campus. His family urged that the university name be changed to reflect the Jat king’s contributions to the school, so that everyone, including students, is aware of his contributions.
BJP politicians, notably Aligarh MP Satish Gautam, have accused the institution of failing to recognise the late king’s contribution to AMU. To make amends, the state government cabinet approved a plan in 2019 to establish a new university in Aligarh named after the Jat independence hero. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the state university last year.
Post Your Comments