Silchar: The demand to rename Silchar Railway Station as “Bhasha Swahid Station, Silchar” has sparked intense discussion across media and social platforms in recent days. In this context, the Bhasha Swahid Station Shahid Smaran Samiti has issued a statement clarifying its position and placing key facts on record.

According to the Samiti, the debate began following an RTI reply from the Railway Ministry dated April 15. The reply stated that no proposal for renaming Silchar Railway Station is currently pending with the Ministry. However, it also clearly mentioned that the Ministry of Home Affairs is the sole competent authority to approve any change in the name of a railway station.

The Samiti alleged that partial interpretation of the RTI response has led to confusion. It stated that after a prolonged movement since 2005, the Assam government had followed due procedure and, in 2016, sent a proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs to rename the station as “Bhasha Swahid Station, Silchar.” The proposal was approved by the Ministry on November 7, 2016, with directions to the state government to issue a Gazette notification.

However, nearly a decade has passed and the Assam government is yet to issue the required Gazette notification, the Samiti claimed. It termed the delay as a disregard for the historic language movement of the Barak Valley.

The Samiti further pointed out that in the absence of a Gazette notification from the state government, the Railway Ministry has not received any formal proposal or status update to act upon. Therefore, the claim that no proposal was ever sent to the Centre is not factually correct.

As per established procedure, the Ministry of Home Affairs approves such name changes based on recommendations from the concerned state government, after which the change is implemented by the Railways following a Gazette notification.

In view of the situation, the Samiti has urged the Assam government to issue the Gazette notification at the earliest. It also called upon the elected representatives of the Barak Valley, including MPs and MLAs, to take an active role in ensuring the process is completed.

Dr. Rajib Kar, secretary of the Samiti, appealed to the public to extend support to the demand.

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