Delhi BJP MLA demands Najafgarh be renamed; claims ‘Mughals altered original name’
Pahalwan, who won the recent Assembly polls from Najafgarh, claimed on the floor of the Delhi Assembly that the renaming effort has been in the works for a long time.
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The next time Najafgarh finds mention in the annals of history is during the Battle of Najafgarh in 1857. With the Najafgarh Jheel Canal serving as a moat for Indian forces, the British forces thought it was an impossible attack to mount and catch the Indian force by surprise. BJP MLA Neelam Pahalwan on Thursday proposed that Najafgarh in Southwest Delhi be renamed as Nahargarh, claiming the Mughals had altered its original name.
Pahalwan, who won the recent Assembly polls from Najafgarh, claimed on the floor of the Delhi Assembly that the renaming effort has been in the works for a long time. “Najafgarh faced many challenges under the Mughal rule during Alam II’s time. During the 1857 revolt, Raja Nahar Singh fought and included the Najafgarh region in Delhi’s territory. We’ve been trying for a long time to change the name,” Pahalwan said.
The earliest mention of Najafgarh appears in historian Abul Fazl’s Ain-i-Akbari as a pargana (administrative unit) of Delhi named Masudabad. Historian Irfan Habib’s Atlas of the Mughal Empire confirms Najafgarh’s erstwhile name as Masudabad. While it was predominantly a Jat settlement, Masudabad would not become a centre of contention until the Battle of Najafgarh in 1857.
Before the battle, however, the pargana had been awarded to Mirza Najaf Khan by Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. According to historian Zafar Hasan’s List of Muhammadan and Hindu Monuments, Najaf Khan was related to the Safvi sovereigns of Persia, whose many relatives were imprisoned by Nadir Shah. According to Hasan, Khan came to India at the age of 13 to live with his sister and her husband.
Khan would prove his prowess in military strategy by helping Mir Qasim push back against the British East India Company in the Battle of Buxar (1764). Despite losing the battle, Khan impressed the Shah.
The Shah would soon decide to march to Delhi and recapture the capital, deciding Khan was the man who could achieve the near-impossible demand. In his book, Anarchy, historian William Dalrymple writes that the emperor decided to set up camp at Sarai Alamchand, strategising with Khan for almost a month.
The Mughal emperor’s army would storm through Delhi Gate on the ruins of Shahjahanabad in 1772 and regain control of the capital. As a reward, Khan was awarded Masudabad as a jagir. “The town of Najafgarh was the centre of his jagir and is named after him. The police station there is his old mansion,” writes Narayani Gupta in her book Delhi — Its Monuments and History.
However, Shah Alam could not find an able successor to Khan and the Mughal territory would soon fall under the dominion of Maratha ruler Madhava Rao Scindia.
The next time Najafgarh finds mention in the annals of history is during the Battle of Najafgarh in 1857. With the Najafgarh Jheel Canal serving as a moat for Indian forces, the British forces thought it was an impossible attack to mount and catch the Indian force by surprise. However, the Indian forces had complete control over the Grand Trunk Road, which prevented the British army from entering Delhi. The battle would rage on for months.
Heavy monsoon, hunger and a cholera outbreak would severely demotivate soldiers on both sides, writes Alexander Llewellyn in his book, The Siege of Delhi. John Nicholson would storm the bridge over the Najafgarh Jheel, where tired Indian troops were setting up camp, their weapons in a pile to one side. The British victory in the Battle of Najafgarh would pave the way for the siege of Delhi.
The push for renaming areas appears to be gaining traction among the BJP leaders in Delhi.
After securing his victory in Mustafabad, senior BJP leader Mohan Singh Bisht declared that he would propose renaming the constituency as either ‘Shiv Puri’ or ‘Shiv Vihar’ once he formally assumed office.
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