Bhopal’s Habibganj railway station renamed after Gond queen Rani Kamalapati

Bhopal, November 13

The Habibganj railway station in Bhopal has been renamed after Gond queen Rani Kamalapati, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Saturday while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision.

The state government also issued a gazette notification stating that the changed name will be spelt at “Rani Kamalapati Railway Station”. Chouhan hailed Rani Kamalapati as pride of the Gond community and “the last Hindu queen of Bhopal”.

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to dedicate to the country the railway station which has been redeveloped and provided with airport-like amenities on November 15.

Modi will be visiting the Madhya Pradesh capital to address a tribal convention to mark ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ in remembrance of the tribal icon and freedom fighter Birsa Munda.

“People of Madhya Pradesh are thankful to the Prime Minister for renaming the Habibganj railway station after Rani Kamalapati, the Gond queen of Bhopal,” Chouhan said in a statement.

The prime minister enhanced the glory of tribals by renaming this “most-modern railway station of the country” after the Gond queen, he said.

“Rani Kamalapati is the pride of the Gond community and last Hindu queen of Bhopal. Her kingdom was usurped by Afghan commander Dost Mohammed by deceit through a conspiracy. When she saw that victory was not possible, she committed ‘Jal Jauhar’ (ritual suicide) to save her honour,” Chouhan said.

Her son Naval Shah was killed at Lalghati, a part of today’s Bhopal, he noted.

On Friday, the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh had written to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, seeking renaming of the redeveloped Habibganj railway station after Rani Kamalapati, stating that it will honour the legacy and bravery of the widow of the Gond ruler Nizam Shah.

Chouhan, in a tweet on Saturday, reiterated that she was “the last Hindu queen of Bhopal.” “Habibganj railway station has been named ‘Rani Kamalapati’ after her. It is a matter of great satisfaction and joy for me. Prime minister Narendra Modi I thank you from my heart,” the chief minister added.

The gazette notification said the “Government of India has no objection to changing the name of Habibganj Railway Station as Rani Kamalapati Railway Station.” The work of changing old name boards at the railway station, located in the new Bhopal area, also started.

Congress MLA from Bhopal Central Arif Masood said the land on which the railway station stands was donated by Habibullah Khan, therefore it was named after him.

“It would have been better if they had paid attention to development than engaging in the politics of name change. A lot of money is spent on name change. Instead, this money should be given to the families of pandemic victims and for providing free ration,” he said.

The state’s Public Relations Department shared a news clip on Twitter, saying that the station was built in 1905 and then it was known as Shahpur. It was named Habibganj station in 1979 when it was expanded.

The Gond community is the largest tribal group of India with more than 1.2 crore population.

On Thursday, BJP MP from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur had demanded that the Habibganj station be renamed after former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The station comes under the jurisdiction of the West Central Railway.

The Kamlapati Palace overlooking the Upper and Lower Lakes of Bhopal is named after the Gond queen. PTI