AGRA: AMU’s city school has been renamed as Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh Aligarh Muslim University City School. The varsity issued a notification in this regard on Friday.

The late Jat king, a freedom fighter and a social reformer, had donated land to various educational institutes, and was an alumnus of the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College, which later became AMU. He had given 3.04 acres of land to the university on lease for constructing a school in 1929.

According to AMU authorities, the decision to rename the school was taken in accordance with the resolution of the Executive Council held on March 22, 2021.

“The school has been re-named to honour Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh, notable AMU alumni, and President of the Provisional Government of India, which served as the Indian Government in exile during World War I from Kabul in 1915,” said the statement issued by AMU authorities.

AMU Vice Chancellor, Prof Tariq Mansoor said: “With the re-naming, AMU pays tribute to Raja Mahendra Pratap. His name is counted among the prominent alumni of the university. His father and grandfather were close to the educationist and reformer Sir Syed Ahmad Khan”.

Incidentally the descendants of the late Jat king had served a legal notice to the university in 2018 on expiry of the land lease, but it was later decided that if AMU names it’s school after Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh, the land would be gifted to the varsity, which would in turn hand back the land of Tikonia park to the descendants of the late king.

In 2018, demands were made for installation of his portrait in the campus, amid controversy over Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s portrait. His family members demanded that the name of the university should be changed and named after the Jat king so that everyone, including the students, become aware of his contribution to the institution.

BJP leaders including Aligarh MP Satish Gautam had been accusing the university of not recognising the contribution of the late king to AMU. To compensate for this, the state government cabinet cleared a proposal to set up a new university in Aligarh , named after the Jat freedom fighter, in 2019. The foundation stone of the state university was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year.