BHOPAL — The executive council of Barkatullah University unanimously voted this week to rename the institution to 'Vagdevi Bhojpal University,' concluding that the man who served as Prime Minister of India’s first provisional government-in-exile from 1915 to 1919 had failed to make any "significant contribution" to the region.

"When we reviewed the historical files, we found that Mohamed Barakatullah Bhopali merely spent his life fighting the British Empire on a global scale," an official said. "But if you look closely at his record, you will see a glaring lack of contributions to our current administrative mandate of removing Islamic names from public infrastructure."

The institution, originally established as Bhopal University in 1970 and renamed in 1988, is the latest target in a broader state-level push. Records indicate similar efforts date back to 2011, when state leadership first proposed renaming the entire city to 'Bhojpal' before encountering widespread protests.

"The criteria for historical significance are very strict," a council spokesperson explained, gesturing toward a stack of newly printed letterheads. "Running a 1915 government-in-exile is certainly a commendable extracurricular activity, but it ultimately falls short of the minimum academic requirement, which is possessing a name that aligns seamlessly with our electoral demographic."