Kolkata's Suhrawardy Avenue Renamed as Gopal Mukherjee Road; Controversy Over Historical Figures Emerges

Kolkata's Suhrawardy Avenue, a major road in the city centre, has been renamed Gopal Mukherjee Road. The decision was taken by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on the occasion of Paschimbanga Divas, and marks the first such renaming since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in West Bengal.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari welcomed the move, calling it a 'historic decision' that rectifies 'a historical wrong'. In a social media post, he stated that the road was previously named after someone who 'wilfully misused state power as a weapon' and 'orchestrated the massacre of innocent citizens for sheer political gain'.

The original name, Suhrawardy Avenue, honored Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, a former Prime Minister of Bengal. However, critics have pointed out that the BJP government may have confused him with Hassan Suhrawardy, a noted scholar who saved Hindus during the 1946 riots. Huseyn Suhrawardy has been accused by some of inciting violence during the partition-era riots, though historical accounts vary.

Gopal Mukherjee, after whom the road is now named, was a controversial figure associated with the 1946 communal riots. Supporters of the renaming argue that it corrects a past wrong by removing the name of someone they believe was responsible for the riots. Others, however, question the decision and the clarity of the government's historical understanding.