There has been ongoing debate in Delhi about renaming streets after prominent Indian freedom fighters and brave warriors, as opposed to retaining names that honor Mughal rulers. In recent years, there has been increasing demand to change the names of roads like Akbar Road, Humayun Road, and Shahjahan Road, all of which were named after Mughal emperors. This debate has reignited, particularly surrounding the name of Akbar Road, which some groups believe should be renamed after the legendary Rajput warrior Maharana Pratap.
The issue gained attention back in March when a group of young protesters made their stance known by smearing black paint on Akbar Road’s signboards and sticking posters of Maharana Pratap in protest. Their action was in response to what they claimed was the tampering of Maharana Pratap’s statue at Kashmiri Gate. This act of defiance against what they viewed as an affront to the warrior’s legacy sparked further discussion. Recently, the issue gained even more momentum with reports that Google Maps had started displaying Akbar Road as “Maharana Pratap Singh Road.”
What is the claim?
Senior journalist Anant Vijay became one of the voices raising this issue on social media. He shared a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) where he revealed that an Ola driver had pointed out that Google Maps was showing Akbar Road as Maharana Pratap Road. Anant Vijay, intrigued by this claim, decided to check it himself the next morning and confirmed that the road was indeed listed as Maharana Pratap Road. He shared his findings in a post, stating, “Yesterday, the Ola driver drew my attention to the fact that Google Maps was showing Akbar Road as Maharana Pratap Road. I checked this morning, and what he said turned out to be true. I have no idea when this change took place.”
Several other people have echoed similar experiences, claiming that when they checked Google Maps, they also saw Akbar Road listed as Maharana Pratap Singh Road instead of its original name.
Has the name of the road really been changed?
Given the long-standing discussions around renaming the road, we reached out to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to clarify the situation. According to sources within the NDMC, the official name of Akbar Road has not been changed yet. While there has indeed been a prolonged demand for the road to be renamed, no official decision has been made by the authorities.
So, if the name hasn’t changed officially, why does Google Maps reflect it differently? To understand this, we consulted experts on the matter. They explained that Google Maps is a platform where users can contribute and make edits to locations. This means that the names displayed on Google Maps are not solely based on official government data, and anyone can suggest changes. Just as individuals can edit the names of businesses, schools, or other locations on Google Maps, they can also update street names. Therefore, the change observed on Google Maps could very well be the result of a user modification, not an official decision or announcement.
This situation raises interesting questions about how public information, especially related to location names, is managed on platforms like Google Maps. Since anyone can make such changes without needing formal approval, it highlights the growing influence of user-generated content on digital maps and the potential for confusion when unofficial edits occur.
