SMC renames places bearing prohibited caste names

Surat: To accord respect to marginalized communities on Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary, observed as Martyrs' Day on Friday, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) renamed several localities that earlier had names alluding to certain castes or communities. This came after directives were issued by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to the state govt earlier this month.
Of 75 place names that were identified as having community-specific names, 31 were renamed. The majority of such localities had names that included caste names of scheduled castes (SCs) or other backward classes (OBCs). After the Jan 1 directives to the chief secretary, such places were identified by the SMC."At present, 31 places have been renamed. The municipal commissioner and standing committee chairman have been empowered to rename the other such localities. These localities had names that were insulting to certain communities and this decision was taken based on NHRC directives," said Rajan Patel, chairman of the SMC standing committee.The new names were suggested based on eminent people from the community and others. An SC-community settlement in Rander was renamed Surti Street, while one in Kosad got the name Ambedkar Nagar.According to SMC documents, the background to the NHRC directives was an application filed by Dr Ambedkar Jankalyan Samiti, Bhopal, on July 9, 2025. It highlighted that even 75 years after Independence, lanes and localities had names indicating caste and community, which was insulting. The govt had prohibited the use of certain names in the past as well.The social justice ministry in an Aug 16, 1990, circular had directed the Centre and state govts to stop using the word "Harijan" in documents. The use of other similar caste name-based words were also prohibited by courts and govts in the past.