The Northern Railways officially renamed eight railway stations in the Lucknow division on Tuesday. The former Kasimpur Halt Railway Station will now be Jais City Railway Station. Similarly, Jais will become Guru Gorakhnath Dham, Misrauli will be Maa Kalikan Dham, and Bani will be renamed Swami Paramhans.
In addition, Nihalgarh Railway Station will change to Maharaja Bijli Pasi Railway Station. Akbarganj will now be Maa Ahorwa Bhawani Dham, Warisganj will become Amar Shahid Bhale Sultan, and Fursatganj will be renamed Tapeshwarnath Dham.
Former Amethi MP Smriti Irani had pushed for these name changes. She sought to preserve the cultural identity and heritage of the area. Irani announced the changes on social media in March.
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A senior railway official explained the rationale behind the new names. Kasimpur Halt was named after a distant village, so Jais City was proposed. The station is close to the prominent Guru Gorakhnath Dham ashram, which influenced the new name.
Furthermore, temples of Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali near Misrauli, Bani, Akbarganj, and Fursatganj led to the renaming of these stations. Nihalgarh’s new name honors Maharaja Bijli Pasi, a local king from the Pasi community. Warisganj, known for Bhale Sultan’s bravery during the 1857 revolt, is named after him.
However, the renaming sparked criticism. Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the BJP government for focusing on names rather than station conditions and safety. He said, “The BJP government is requested to also change the condition of railway stations along with the names.” Yadav also urged the government to address the issue of rail accidents, stating, “And when you are done with changing the names, think about preventing record-breaking rail accidents.”
