Road signboards named after Mughal rulers in Lutyens' Delhi vandalised
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New Delhi: In a reported act of vandalism, members of a Buddhist organisation allegedly damaged and defaced road signboards in Lutyens' Delhi on Friday, specifically targeting those named after prominent Mughal and Delhi Sultanate rulers.
Bharatiya Baudh Sangh members covered the signboards that come under the jurisdiction of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) with black spray paint.
Vandals covered up several road signboards in Lutyens' Delhi, replacing them with new names. Shahjahan Road was relabelled as Veer Savarkar Marg, Tughlaq Lane became Ahilya Bai Marg, Akbar Road was renamed as Maharishi Valmiki Marg, and Humayun Road was changed to Balasaheb Thackeray Marg.
There was no immediate response available from the NDMC.
"We urge the prime minister and the home minister to remove Mughal names from public spaces, as they symbolise a history of atrocities. We do not need such names." Bharatiya Baudh Sangh President Sanghpriya Rahul said to PTI.
The incident follows the March 20 defacement of Akbar Road's signboard by unidentified individuals protesting the alleged vandalism of Maharana Pratap's statue at Kashmiri Gate ISBT.
Signboards at Akbar Road and Humayun Road were vandalised last month, with posters of Chhatrapati Shivaji pasted over them. Meanwhile, BJP leaders Dinesh Sharma and Union Minister Krishan Pal Gurjar modified the nameplates at their Tughlaq Lane residences, now reading "Swami Vivekananda Marg" with (Tughlaq Lane) in brackets.
(inputs from PTI)