In a strong symbolic protest, workers of the right-wing organisation Shivpratishthan Hindusthan tore down “Islampur” signboards in Sangli district of Maharashtra on April 29, asserting the official renaming of the city to Ishwarpur.
The incident occurred at the main square of Tarun Bharat Vyayam Mandal.
A video circulated on the organisation’s official Instagram account shows three to four men climbing the structure, cutting out the green plastic “Islampur” text with a knife, throwing it to the ground, and stomping on it repeatedly. The group described the act as a rejection of the “Muslim-sounding” name.
According to the organisation, the action was taken in deliberate defiance of the Maharashtra State Government’s ordinance issued on November 3, 2025, which officially renamed Islampur to Ishwarpur.
They alleged that an individual from Kolhapur had installed fresh “Islampur” directional signboards at multiple locations in Sangli as a “calculated ploy” to undermine the newly appointed District Collector, Superintendent of Police, and Commissioner.
The volunteers claimed they first informed the police and the Commissioner about the unauthorised boards to prevent any law and order situation. After receiving no immediate response, they removed the controversial signboards themselves and handed them over to the authorities.
They also cleared similar boards from other spots and issued a warning that they would continue removing such installations if the administration failed to act.
This story was originally published in muslimmirror.com. Read the full story here.
