Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau.
The Uttarakhand government’s recent decision to assign collective titles to major sports facilities across four cities has drawn sharp criticism, especially from the Bengali community in Udham Singh Nagar district. The move, which authorities say is aimed at giving integrated sports infrastructures a unified identity, has sparked protests, with many accusing the government of cultural insensitivity and erasing the identity of community icons.
Tensions flared after a government order—approved by the Governor—was issued on Tuesday, officially declaring the new names. As per the order, all sports facilities in Raipur, Dehradun, including Maharana Pratap Sports College and Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, will now be known collectively as the Silver Jubilee Sports Complex. In Haldwani’s Gaulapar area, the facilities have been grouped under Manaskhand Sports Complex. In Haridwar, sports infrastructure will now come under the Yogasthal Sports Complex, while in Rudrapur, all facilities including the Manoj Sarkar Stadium, Multipurpose Hall, and Velodrome will now be collectively termed the Shivalik Sports Complex.
Though officials maintain that no existing names have been altered, the decision has not been well received on the ground. In Rudrapur, where Paralympian and Arjuna Awardee Manoj Kumar Sarkar hails from, members of the Bengali community staged protests and burned effigies of the state government. They claim the renaming dilutes the significance of Sarkar’s legacy and is symbolic of the state’s disregard for their contributions.
Parimal Roy, a protester from Rudrapur, remarked, “This is not just about a name—it’s about respect. Manoj Sarkar brought pride to our town and to the nation. Grouping his stadium under a generic title dishonours his achievements and sends the wrong message.”
Subrata Kumar Biswas echoed the sentiment, saying, “First they honoured Manoj Sarkar by naming the stadium after him. Now, without any consultation, they’ve buried that identity under a new label. It feels like a betrayal.”
Voices of dissent echoed from other Bengali-majority areas too. Minati Das from Shaktifarm questioned the government’s intentions: “If they truly respected Manoj Sarkar, they would have named the entire complex after him. This so-called integration is just a soft way of erasing our icons.”
Faced with rising criticism, Sports Minister Rekha Arya issued a clarification to defuse the tension.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that no existing names have been changed. Manoj Sarkar Stadium will continue to be called that. The multipurpose hall, cycling velodrome, and other facilities will also retain their original names,” Arya said.
“These umbrella names like Shivalik or Silver Jubilee Sports Complex have been introduced purely for administrative purposes and future sporting events. The intent is integration, not erasure,” she added.
