Mumbai/Mira Bhayandar: The political controversy over the legacy of Tipu Sultan has now reached Mumbai’s adjoining suburb of Mira Bhayandar, with the BJP pushing to rename a prominent junction ahead of the civic body’s first general assembly meeting.
The proposal to remove the name “Hazrat Tipu Sultan Chowk” in Naya Nagar, Mira Road East, has sparked fresh political confrontation, weeks after similar tensions surfaced in other parts of Maharashtra.
The issue, which first erupted in Malegaon, is now before the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation following the BJP’s sweeping victory in the corporation elections.
Newly elected BJP corporators are demanding that the junction currently known as “Hazrat Tipu Sultan Chowk” be renamed. The proposal is expected to be raised during the corporation’s first general body meeting scheduled for February 18, marking the return of elected representatives after a gap of nearly three-and-a-half years.
The square, located in Naya Nagar, was officially named in 2016 through a resolution passed in a general body meeting. Municipal authorities have cited a 2021 decision suggesting that changing the name may not be permissible. However, BJP leaders argue that there have been precedents of renaming civic landmarks, including an auditorium, and insist that the matter be debated formally.
A heated exchange is widely anticipated during the assembly.
The controversy follows recent remarks by Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, who had described Tipu Sultan as a “symbol of bravery” comparable to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The comments triggered protests by BJP workers across the state, including demonstrations outside Congress Bhavan in Pune.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction has alleged that historical figures such as Tipu Sultan are being “brought back from the grave” for political purposes, drawing parallels with past debates involving Aurangzeb and Afzal Khan.
The controversy deepened earlier in Malegaon after Deputy Mayor Shane E Hind Nihal Ahmed displayed a portrait of Tipu Sultan in her office. The move sparked protests by Hindutva organisations, which demanded the removal of the photograph.
Following agitation and pressure from political groups, the Municipal Secretary’s Department removed the portrait overnight. However, the Deputy Mayor has maintained that Tipu Sultan was a freedom fighter and has stated that she intends to reinstall the photograph once office renovation work is complete.
The row has also led to tensions in Ahilyanagar, where members of Sakal Hindu Samaj reportedly burned a symbolic effigy of Tipu Sultan following the remarks by Sapkal. In response, Muslim youths in the Asha Talkies area staged a symbolic protest by pouring milk on Tipu Sultan’s photograph.
