Port Blair to be renamed Shri Vijayapuram, Home Minister Amit Shah announces

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday announced that the Indian government has decided to rename the island of Port Blair as 'Shri Vijayapuram,' in a bid to "rid the country of all symbols of slavery."

"Today the Home Ministry has decided to rename Port Blair as 'Shri Vijayapuram'. The name reflects our struggle for freedom and the contribution of Andaman and Nicobar in it," Shah said in a post on X.

Shah also extolled the importance of the island to India, saying it has a "unique place in our country's independence and history."


"This island, which played the role of a naval base in the Chola Empire, is today ready to accelerate the country's security and development," Shah said.

The Home Minister also talked of the Cellular Jail - a historical landmark that saw many freedom fighters imprisoned - and the legacy of India's independence struggle.

"This island is the place where the tricolour was first hoisted by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and where Veer Savarkar and other freedom fighters fought for the independence of Maa Bharati in the Cellular Jail," he added.