Aurangazeb road can’t be renamed: MHA

NEW DELHI: Guru Tegh Bahadur was supposedly executed in Chandni Chowk in the 16th century on orders of Aurangzeb for his attempts to protect Hindus and Sikhs from forced conversions. Despite having a political ally at the Centre, the Akalis even with the help of the Delhi BJP unit is unable to ‘hit back’ at Aurangzeb.

The Home Ministry on Wednesday said the capital’s Aurangzeb Road cannot be re-named ‘ Guru Tegh Bahadur Road’ since there is a policy not to rename any road named after a historical figure. It said names that are a part of history “cannot be altered”.

This was despite Delhi BJP’s and the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee’s request in preceding months. They had said that it would be fitting to rename the road as the Mughal emperor had ordered Guru Teg Bahadur’s execution. The request, which home ministry officials described as one fraught with political repercussions in the light of upcoming elections in Delhi, was rejected by simply showing the rule-book.

MHA guidelines issued way back in 1975 say names of existing streets or roads are normally not be changed and only new roads are considered for being named after eminent personalities. “The name of the said road was not changed by the NDMC in light of guidelines of the Home Ministry,” MHA told Parliament on Wednesday, skirting its role in the matter.