Muktsar is now Sri Muktsar Sahib
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 31
The Union Home Ministry has given its go ahead for re-christening historic town of Muktsar as “Sri Muktsar Sahib”. In a letter to Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Makan said: “Keeping in view sentiments of the Sikh community and the historically associated with the city of Muktsar, the ministry has taken a decision to rename the town as Sri Muktsar Sahib.” A delegation of Congress leaders, including Partap Singh Bajwa, Manish Tewari, Jagmeet Brar, Santosh Chaudhary, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Parminder Singh and Manoj Arora, had met Ajay Makan early this month to demand that the name of Muktsar town be changed in accordance with Sikh rituals and conventions.
Now, once the Home Ministry has given its consent to the new name, it would be entered in the revenue record and also in all future official communications. Once the Centre clears the proposal, the state will make an endorsement to complete the formality.
Earlier, the leaders had taken up the case of Fatehgarh Sahib, another historic town on similar lines. Even at that time, the Home Ministry had consented the proposal.
The last time name of a historic Sikh town was changed was at the time of tercentenary celebrations of Guru Granth sahib. The name of Nanded was changed to Sri Nanded Sahib. Subsequently, the Railway Ministry also changed the name of Nanded railway station as Sri Nanded Sahib railway station.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥