Bhopal's Habibganj railway station renamed after Gond queen Rani Kamalapati: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Bhopal, Nov 13: The Habibganj railway station in Bhopal has been renamed after Gond queen Rani Kamalapati, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Saturday while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision.
The state government also issued a gazette notification stating that the changed name will be spelt at Rani Kamalapati Railway Station. Chouhan hailed Rani Kamalapati as pride of the Gond community and "the last Hindu queen of Bhopal".
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to dedicate to the country the railway station which has been redeveloped and provided with airport-like amenities on November 15.
Modi will be visiting the Madhya Pradesh capital to address a tribal convention to mark 'Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas' in remembrance of the tribal icon and freedom fighter Birsa Munda.
"People of Madhya Pradesh are thankful to the Prime Minister for renaming the Habibganj railway station after Rani Kamalapati, the Gond queen of Bhopal," Chouhan said in a statement.
The prime minister enhanced the glory of tribals by renaming this "most-modern railway station of the country" after the Gond queen, he said.
"Rani Kamalapati is the pride of the Gond community and last Hindu queen of Bhopal. Her kingdom was usurped by Afghan commander Dost Mohammed by deceit through a conspiracy. When she saw that victory was not possible, she committed 'Jal Jauhar' (ritual suicide) to save her honour," Chouhan said.
Her son Naval Shah was killed at Lalghati, a part of today's Bhopal, he noted.
On Friday, the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh had written to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, seeking renaming of the redeveloped Habibganj railway station after Rani Kamalapati, stating that it will honour the legacy and bravery of the widow of the Gond ruler Nizam Shah.
Chouhan, in a tweet on Saturday, reiterated that she was "the last Hindu queen of Bhopal." "Habibganj railway station has been named 'Rani Kamalapati' after her. It is a matter of great satisfaction and joy for me. Prime minister Narendra Modi I thank you from my heart," the chief minister added.
The gazette notification said the "Government of India has no objection to changing the name of Habibganj Railway Station as Rani Kamalapati Railway Station. The work of changing old name boards at the railway station, located in the new Bhopal area, also started.
Congress MLA from Bhopal Central Arif Masood said the land on which the railway station stands was donated by Habibullah Khan, therefore it was named after him.
It would have been better if they had paid attention to development than engaging in the politics of name change. A lot of money is spent on name change. Instead, this money should be given to the families of pandemic victims and for providing free ration, he said.
The state's Public Relations Department shared a news clip on Twitter, saying that the station was built in 1905 and then it was known as Shahpur. It was named Habibganj station in 1979 when it was expanded.
The Gond community is the largest tribal group of India with more than 1.2 crore population.
On Thursday, BJP MP from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur had demanded that the Habibganj station be renamed after former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The station comes under the jurisdiction of the West Central Railway. The Kamlapati Palace overlooking the Upper and Lower Lakes of Bhopal is named after the Gond queen.
हबीबगंज अब होगा रानी कमलापति रेलवे स्टेशन.
— MP MyGov (@MP_MyGov) November 13, 2021
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भोपाल के हबीबगंज रेलवे स्टेशन को अब रानी कमलापति स्टेशन के नाम से जाना जाएगा। भारत सरकार द्वारा पुनर्विकसित इस स्टेशन का लोकार्पण प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी जी द्वारा 15 नवंबर को किया जाएगा।#जनजाति_गौरव_दिवस @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/v1tqsqROLx
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Suspected drones observed along IB in Jammu's Samba, being engaged: Army
Jammu, May 12 (PTI): Security forces are engaging suspected drones observed along the International Border in Samba district of Jammu region on Monday, an Army said.
This fresh incident of drone activity along the borderline comes barely hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first address to the nation following Operation Sindoor and the meeting of the DGMOs of India and Pakistan.
The Army, however, said there is no need to be alarmed.
“A small number of suspected drones have been observed near Samba in J&K. They are being engaged,” it said.
In the backdrop of the situation, several areas witnessed blackouts in Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, and Jammu.
Lights were switched off at the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi and along its track as a precautionary measure, sources said.
On Monday, talks between the DGMOs were held during which issues related to the continuing commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive or inimical action against each other were discussed, the Indian Army said.
It was also agreed that both sides would consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction along the borders and in forward areas, it added.
The situation remained largely peaceful across Jammu and Kashmir, with no incidents of ceasefire violation reported along the Indo-Pak border Sunday overnight — marking the first calm night after 18 days of hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people — mostly tourists — dead.
India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to cease all firing and military actions on land, air, and sea with immediate effect, following four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes that brought the two countries to the brink of full-scale war.
Eighteen days of intense hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, which brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war, ended with a ceasefire that restored calm along the Line of Control, the International Border, and the hinterland in Jammu and Kashmir. The Army thwarted Pakistan’s Hamas-style kamikaze drone attacks during the escalation.
Since the night of April 24, hours after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistani troops repeatedly targeted Indian positions along the LoC — beginning in the Kashmir Valley and quickly expanding to the Jammu region.
The latest hostilities began in the northern districts of Kupwara and Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley, before spreading southwards to Rajouri, Poonch, Akhnoor, and the Pargwal sector along the International Border in Jammu district. The firing affected five border districts — Baramulla, Kupwara, Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu.
The recent round of cross-border firing further undermined the ceasefire agreement reached in February 2021, which has largely been seen as ineffective due to Pakistan’s frequent violations along the 740-km-long LoC.
The April 22 terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people — mostly tourists — in Pahalgam’s Baisaran valley, triggered a strong response from the central government.
The India-Pakistan border stretches over 3,300 kilometers, divided into three segments: the International Border (IB), spanning about 2,400 km from Gujarat to Akhnoor in Jammu; the 740-km-long Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir; and the 110-km-long Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL), which separates the Siachen Glacier region.
WATCH: OP Sindoor continues. Minutes after PM Speech.
— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) May 12, 2025
A small numbers of suspected drones being observed near Samba in J&K. Being engaged . pic.twitter.com/jmGmRkmQ26
