Habibganj railway station renamed after 'last Hindu queen' of Bhopal

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said that the Habibganj railway station in Bhopal has been renamed after the Gond queen Rani Kamlapati. He further thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to dedicate the renamed railway station, which has been redeveloped with modern airport-like amenities, on November 15. He shall be visiting the capital city to address a tribal convention to mark Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. The day commemorates the tribal icon and freedom fighter Birsa Munda.

Chouhan hailed Rani Kamlapati as the pride of the Gond community, the largest tribal group in the country with over 1.2 crore population, and the last Hindu queen of Bhopal. Rani Kamlapati's kingdom was annexed by Afghan commander Dost Mohammed by deceit, he said.

Chouhan said that the people of Madhya Pradesh are thankful to the Prime Minister for renaming the station, part of the West Central Railway, after Rani Kamlapati. The PM has enhanced the glory of tribals by renaming the 'most-modern' railway station in the country after the Gond queen, he added.

"Rani Kamlapati is the pride of the Gond community and the last Hindu queen of Bhopal. Her kingdom was usurped by Afghan commander Dost Mohammed by deceit under a conspiracy. When she saw that victory was not possible, she committed "Jal Jauhar" (a practice of committing suicide) to save her respect," Chouhan stated. Naval Shah, Rani Kamlapati's son, was killed at Lalghati, he said.

The state government had written to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday for renaming the renewed railway station. It would honour the legacy and bravery of the widow of the Gond ruler of Nizam Shah.

"She was the last Hindu queen of Bhopal. Habibganj railway station has been named 'Rani Kamlapati' after her. It is a matter of great satisfaction and joy for me. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi I thank you from my heart (sic)," Chouhan tweeted.

Pragya Singh Thakur, the BJP MP from Bhopal, had demanded that the Habibganj station be renamed after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Thursday.

Rani Kamlapati is said to be the widow of the Gond ruler of Nizam Shah, the chief of Ginnorgarh. The Kamlapati Palace, too, is named after the queen.