MUMBAI: Tension mounted across the Mira-Bhayandar region on Wednesday and Thursday after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) passed a resolution to rename the 10-year-old Tipu Sultan Chowk in Mira Road as Ashfaqulla Khan Chowk. The proposal was approved in the General Assembly on Wednesday evening amid heated debate.
The square, located in Naya Nagar, was developed by the civic body in 2016 and named after Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore who is remembered for resisting British expansion in south India. However, sections of the BJP have long objected to his legacy, alleging that he persecuted certain communities during his rule, a claim contested by many historians who view him as an anti-colonial figure.
The controversy around Tipu Sultan’s name resurfaced on February 15 after the BJP filed an FIR against Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal for remarks comparing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with Tipu Sultan. The BJP alleged that the remarks hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community.
The renaming move also comes against the backdrop of a separate controversy in Malegaon, where a photograph of Tipu Sultan displayed in the deputy mayor’s chamber drew objections.
BJP MLA Narendra Mehta had earlier announced that the chowk’s name would be changed before the 2024 Assembly elections. After the BJP came to power in the MBMC in 2026, corporator Sanjay Pawar formally moved the proposal in the General Assembly.
The joint Mira Bhayander Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Congress and Shiv Sena members, opposed the move, alleging that the name was being changed without justification. During the debate, Congress corporator Anil Sawant suggested that if the name had to be altered, it should honour Ashfaqulla Khan, a revolutionary associated with the Kakori conspiracy and executed by the British in 1927.
The BJP, which holds a majority in the House, passed the resolution and adopted the new name. “The name has been changed to that of a freedom fighter, which is what the majority wanted,” said Mehta.
Police deployed bandobast across sensitive pockets of Mira Road following the decision. However, no untoward incident was reported. “We were prepared to tackle the situation,” said an officer from Naya Nagar police station.