In a big move, the name of 11 villages in Madhya Pradesh will be changed. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav recently. He made the announcement in response to growing public sentiment. Several local communities showed concerns about the names of some villages, which were perceived to have a connection to the Muslim community.

Here are the 11 villages to get a new name:

Unchhod was renamed as Unchavad
Mohammadpur Machhanai renamed as Mohanpur
Dhabla Hussainpur renamed as Dhabla Ram
Sheikhpur Bongi renamed as Avadhpuri
Khajuri Alahdad renamed as Khajuri Ram
Hajipur renamed as Heerapur
Reechdi Muradabad renamed as Ritchdi
Mohammadpur Pawadiya renamed as Rampur Pawadiya
Ghatti Mukhtiyarpur renamed as Ghatti
Khalilpur renamed as Rampur
Nipaniya Hisamuddin renamed as Nipaniya Dev

According to locals, these 11 villages carried names associated with Muslim heritage, which they wanted to be renamed. The CM in his speech said that the renaming of these villages was only a reflection of wishes of the local residents. They were not happy with the existing names so he explained that it was his duty to take care of people.

He said, "When people raised concerns that certain names were displeasing, I felt it was my responsibility to address them. If there's no Mohammad in Mohammadpur Machhanai, then why retain such a name? If there are Muslim residents, they can keep their names. But if not, the names will be changed."

The CM further mentioned that the new names are inspired by India's rich cultural heritage, which includes a vast number of deities and that India has 33 crore deities, so the new names can be inspired by any of them.

It is not the first time that renaming of destinations is happening. Sometime back, the CM had renamed three villages in Ujjain district, wherein Gajnikhedi Panchayat became Chamunda Mata village, Jahangirpur became Jagdishpur, and Maulana village became Vikram Nagar.

The Madhya Pradesh government's renaming of villages shows the state’s commitment to honouring local people’s wishes and traditions and strengthening community ties. By changing names with cultural values, the administration aims to preserve the state’s cultural and religious identity, marking a major step in safeguarding the heritage of its citizens.