Name of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Not Dropped from State Government Homeopathic Medical College: Kiran Gitte, IAS

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, July 25, 2026

A political controversy over the naming of Tripura's newly upgraded government homeopathic medical institution took a new turn on Saturday after the state government clarified that the name of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose has not been dropped from the institution.

Speaking to tripurainfo.com on Saturday morning, Health Secretary Kiran Gitte, IAS, said the official name of the newly established institution will be "Agartala Government Homeopathic Medical College and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Homeopathic Hospital."

The clarification comes in the wake of strong criticism from the opposition CPI(M) and the All India Forward Bloc, both of which had alleged that the state government had removed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's name while upgrading the hospital into a medical college.

Explaining the rationale behind the nomenclature, Gitte said the naming pattern has been adopted on the lines of Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, where the medical college and the attached hospital have distinct but linked identities under a common institutional framework.

He further said that the government would immediately replace the existing signboards to reflect the institution's official name and remove any confusion regarding the inclusion of Netaji's name.

Earlier in the day, CPI(M) State Secretary Jitendra Chaudhury strongly opposed what he believed was the removal of Netaji's name from the state's premier homeopathic hospital. Addressing the media, he alleged that the BJP-led government was attempting to erase the legacy of eminent freedom fighters from public institutions.

Chaudhury argued that the institution could have been upgraded into a medical college without altering its historical identity. He maintained that there was no administrative necessity to omit Netaji's name and described such a move as insensitive and historically unjustified. He appealed to Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha to immediately withdraw the decision and restore the original name.

The controversy was further intensified after the All India Forward Bloc's Tripura State Co-ordinating Committee submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister demanding the restoration of Netaji's name. The memorandum stated that while the party welcomed the establishment of a government homeopathic medical college, it strongly objected to any attempt to remove the name of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose from the hospital.

The Forward Bloc emphasized that Netaji's contribution to India's freedom struggle is unparalleled and recalled that the Government of India has honoured his legacy by installing a grand statue of Netaji near India Gate in New Delhi. The party argued that administrative upgradation should not come at the cost of erasing the identity of one of the nation's greatest freedom fighters.

However, with the Health Secretary's clarification, it is now clear that the state government has retained Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's name as part of the hospital's official title. The new nomenclature distinguishes the medical college from the attached hospital while preserving the hospital's historic identity, following the model of Agartala Government Medical College and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital.

The government's clarification is expected to address concerns raised by opposition parties and sections of the public, although it remains to be seen whether the CPI(M) and the Forward Bloc will consider the explanation satisfactory after the revised signboards are installed and the official notification is fully implemented.

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