It seems that Emperor Akbar is going to face the same fate as faced by his great-grandson Aurangzeb as New Delhi’s famous Akbar Road, which houses several Union ministers, including BJP chief Amit Shah as well as the Congress office, was ‘labelled’ Maharana Pratap Road on Tuesday night, the Indian Express reported. 

In 2015, Aurangzeb Road in Lutyens’ Delhi was renamed as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road in honour of the late President.

A poster — with “Maharana Pratap Road” printed on it in Hindi — was pasted over the Akbar Road signboard leading off to India Gate circle. However, no one has yet taken responsibility for the act. The defacement came, incidentally, ahead of the birth anniversary of Mewar warrior on 9 May. The poster was removed later in the day.

Even though the Centre’s proposal in this regard is pending, the defacement has shocked many.

A media report quoted a spokesperson of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), under whose zone Akbar Road falls, as saying that it would launch an investigation into the incident.

However, this is not the first time that an Akbar Road signboard has been defaced. Last year, signages bearing the name ‘Akbar Road’ in central Delhi were vandalised and posters were put up on them declaring the stretch as ‘Maharana Pratap Marg’. Hindu Sena, a right-wing outfit, had then claimed to be behind the act.