‘Rectifying historical wrong’: Suvendu on Kolkata civic body renaming Suhrawardy Avenue as Gopal Mukherjee Road

As the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) renamed the city’s Suhrawardy Avenue located at the Beniapukur area as Gopal Mukherjee Road, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said in a post on X that a major ‘historical wrong’ has finally been rectified.

The decision to rename the major arterial road conneting the Park Circus 7-Point Crossing to the Don Bosco Circle, was taken on Saturday on the occassion of Paschimbanga Divas (West Bengal State Day), which was celebrated for the first time on June 20 after the newly-formed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state.

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“I commend the historic decision taken by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, yesterday, on the solemn occasion of Paschimbanga Divas, which would be instrumental in rectifying a historical wrong. Suhrawardy Avenue will now be renamed as Gopal Mukherjee Road,” Adhikari posted on X, praising the civic body.

I commend the historic decision taken by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, yesterday, on the solemn occasion of Paschimbanga Divas, which would be instrumental in rectifying a historical wrong.
Suhrawardy Avenue will now be renamed as Gopal Mukherjee Road.

For decades, a major… pic.twitter.com/eUmZj1msE9

— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) June 21, 2026

Coming down heavily on Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, the last Prime Minister of undivided Bengal who was reportedly the mastermind behind the Direct Action Day in 1946, Adhikari said, “For decades, a major artery of our City bore the name of someone who wilfully misused state power as a weapon, orchestrating the massacre of innocent citizens for sheer political gain.”

Praising Gopal Mukherjee who is considered as the protector of Hindus by proponents of the Right, for saving several lives during the unfortunate killings, the Chief Minister said, “By renaming it after Shri Gopal Mukherjee, the fearless soul who stepped up as a protector-in-chief to defend and save thousands of innocent lives, finally restoration of historical justice will be achieved by honouring a true guardian and savior.”

“It’s time, West Bengal remembers, corrects and honours the Real Heroes,” he underlined.

However, many have claimed that the Suhrawardy Avenue was not named after Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, nicknamed the ‘Butcher of Bengal’ but his uncle, Hassan Shaheed Suhrawardy, a scholar, an art-critic, who was also knighted by the British on February 17, 1932.

As per their claims, Hassan Shaheed Suhrawardy had served as the Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University from 1934-40 and was a prominent historian and scientist. They have also claimed that he was knighted by the British on February 17, 1932. The road was allegedly named by then Mayor Bidhanchandra Ray in 1933, they claimed.

The KMC recently saw the exit of its Mayor Firhad Hakim, a long-term Mamata Banerjee supporter who seems to have switched his allegiance to the rebel side, led by state assembly Leader of Oppostion Ritabrata Banerjee.