Srinagar: In a move that has raised significant concerns over cultural identity, the BJP-led Indian government has renamed 45 public infrastructures in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including educational institutions, roads, and a playground. The changes honor Indian forces’ personnel and others who have died in the region.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the directive from the New Delhi-installed administration in IIOJK mandates immediate administrative action to update records with the new names. Divisional Commissioners in both the Kashmir and Jammu regions are tasked with overseeing this renaming process, and Deputy Commissioners are instructed to organize public events to officially introduce the new names.
This renaming initiative is part of a broader trend under the current regime, which has previously renamed hundreds of sites across the occupied territory. These actions have sparked widespread criticism and concerns about the erasure of the local Muslim identity and the suppression of the cultural heritage of Kashmir.