In Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district, councillors and members of the public staged a protest on Monday against a proposal to name a new bus stand in Thittuvilai after Quaid-e-Millath, with demonstrators describing him as “anti-national.” The protest, held outside the Boothapandi Town Panchayat office, continued for over two hours before the local administration withdrew the naming decision.
The agitation was reportedly organised by local councillors and supported by members of the Hindu Munnani, which later issued a statement commending the public for their “peaceful and determined protest.” The group said the decision to name the facility after Quaid-e-Millath was “inappropriate and disrespectful” to national sentiment.
Quaid-e-Millath, also known as M Muhammad Ismail, was a prominent political leader and the founder of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in post-Independence India.
The proposal to name the new Thittuvilai bus stand after Quaid-e-Millath reportedly came from local authorities as part of an initiative to recognise influential historical figures from Tamil Nadu. However, sections of the public opposed the move, arguing that it would be divisive and that the honour should go to a leader with no links to separatist politics.
Following the protest, the Boothapandi Town Panchayat administration announced that it would reconsider the naming proposal. Hindu Munnani representatives expressed satisfaction over the reversal and reiterated their opposition to what they termed the “glorification of figures tied to anti-national movements.”
காயிதே மில்லத் பெயர் வைக்க எதிர்ப்பு!!
கன்னியாகுமரி மாவட்டம், திட்டுவிளை புதிய பேருந்து நிலையத்திற்கு தேசவிரோதி காயிதே மில்லத் பெயர் வைக்க எதிர்ப்பு தெரிவித்து பூதப்பாண்டி பேரூராட்சி அலுவலகத்தில் கவுன்சிலர்கள் மற்றும் பொதுமக்கள் முற்றுகை போராட்டம்..
இரண்டு மணி நேர தொடர்… pic.twitter.com/el1RK6okeg
— Hindu Munnani (@hindumunnani_tn) October 28, 2025
No law-and-order incidents were reported during the protest. The district administration has not yet announced a new name for the bus stand.
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