The Assam government has decided to rename Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College and Hospital in Barpeta as Barpeta Medical College and Hospital. The decision was taken during a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.Speaking to the media after the cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister said the move was taken to keep the naming pattern of medical colleges in the state consistent. According to him, most government medical colleges in Assam are named after the places where they are located. He said colleges in Guwahati, Silchar, Dhubri, Bongaigaon, Biswanath and Sonitpur follow this pattern.Sarma said the name of the Barpeta medical college had earlier been kept after Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, the former President of India. However, the government felt that the name was different from the pattern followed in other colleges. He said the cabinet therefore decided to rename the institution as Barpeta Medical College and Hospital.
The Chief Minister also said the existing name sometimes created confusion among people. Some people believed that the institution was a private medical college because of the name. To avoid such confusion, the government decided to change the name and align it with other government medical colleges in the state.At the same time, the state government has said that the contribution of former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed will continue to be honoured. Sarma announced that another educational or cultural institution will be named after him. He said the government will soon take a decision on which institution will carry his name so that his legacy remains recognised.Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed remains an important figure in Assam’s political history. Born in Delhi, he studied in Delhi before going to Cambridge to study law. After completing his education, he returned to India and worked as a lawyer. He first practised in Lahore and later moved to Guwahati.Ahmed joined the Indian National Congress in the early years of the freedom movement. In 1939, he served as the finance minister of Assam in the ministry led by Gopinath Bordoloi. Later, in 1946, he became the Advocate General of Assam. He again served as the state’s finance minister from 1957 to 1966 during the government of Bimala Prasad Chaliha.
He later moved to national politics and became a cabinet minister in the government led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1966. During his time in the Union Cabinet, he handled several ministries, including Power, Irrigation, Industries and Agriculture.In 1974, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was elected as the President of India, becoming the only President from Assam. He remained in office until his death in February 1977 after suffering a heart attack.Along with the decision on the medical college, the Assam cabinet also took several other decisions. One of them relates to Ali-Ai-Ligang, an important agricultural festival celebrated by the Mising community. The cabinet decided that the festival will now be observed as an official state holiday. The government said the step was taken to recognise the cultural traditions and heritage of the Mising community. Ali-Ai-Ligang is widely celebrated in different parts of Assam and holds special importance for the community.
