Assam cabinet led by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday decided to rename a university named after Rabindranath Tagore. In the weekly cabinet meeting, it was decided that the name of the Rabindranath Tagore University in Hojai will be changed to Rabindranath Thakur Vishwavidyalaya.
The renaming marks adopting the original surname of Rabindranath Tagore. Notably, while the original Bengali surname is Thakur, the British had changed it to Tagore. It was one of the several Bengali surnames changed by the British govt for their own convenience.
Important decisions taken at #AssamCabinet meeting today chaired by HCM Dr. @himantabiswa –
— Chief Minister Assam (@CMOfficeAssam) July 10, 2025
✅Renaming Rabindranath Tagore University to Rabindranath Thakur Vishwavidyalaya Viswavidyalaya
✅Implementation of Gajamitra Scheme in 8 most human elephant conflict prime districts… pic.twitter.com/yNDLTPt8H5
Assam govt has also decided to replace University with Vishwavidyalaya in the name, adopting the Indian word for University.
Announcing the decision, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the name of the institution has been changed due to presence of an existing university with the same name in Bhopal. He said that the University Grants Commission (UGC) had asked to change the name of the university to avoid the conflict.
