Assam govt drops Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed’s name from Barpeta medical college

The Assam government on Tuesday decided to rename Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College and Hospital in Barpeta as Barpeta Medical College and Hospital , a move that comes amid a row over the name change of the institution. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the decision after a meeting of the state cabinet.

Addressing a press conference, Sarma said the step was taken to maintain uniformity in the naming pattern of government medical colleges in the state. According to him, most government medical colleges in Assam are named after the places where they are located.

He cited examples of institutions in Guwahati , Dhubri , Silchar , Bongaigaon , Biswanath , and Sonitpur , which follow the location-based naming convention.

“ All our medical colleges are named after their locations. Somehow, the Barpeta institution was named after Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed , which does not align with the naming pattern followed elsewhere,” Sarma said.

The chief minister also said the existing name had sometimes led to confusion among people, with some assuming that the institution was a private medical college.

“Because of its name, many people ask whether it is a private medical college. To remove such confusion, the cabinet today decided to rename the institution Barpeta Medical College and Hospital ,” he added.

At the same time, the state government said it would continue to honour Ahmed, who served as India’s fifth President and the first from Assam .

Sarma said the cabinet had decided that another educational or cultural institution of the same or higher stature would be named after Ahmed to keep his legacy alive.

Established in 2011 , the medical college is affiliated with Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences . It began offering undergraduate courses in 2012 and postgraduate medical education in 2019, contributing to medical training and healthcare services in the region.