Maharashtra Government renames Islampur as Ishwarpur

The Maharashtra Government on Friday announced that Islampur in Sangli district is being renamed as Ishwarpur.

The announcement was made in the state legislature on the last day of the monsoon session.

The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting on Thursday, food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal told the legislative assembly.

He said the state government will send the cabinet decision to the Centre for approval.

The move came after a Hindutva organization, Shiv Pratisthan, sent a memorandum to the Sangli collectorate demanding that Islampur’s name be changed to Ishwarpur.

Shiv Pratishtan is headed by Sambhaji Bhide whose supporters have said that they would not rest until the demand is met.

A Shiv Sena leader from Islampur said that the demand for a change in name has been pending since 1986.