One Surname, Two Legacies: Who Were The Suhrawardys Of West Bengal?

Published 22 June 2026 · local

One Surname, Two Legacies: Who Were The Suhrawardys Of West Bengal? Published By, Last Updated: June 22, 2026, 14:42 IST Kolkata’s Suhrawardy Avenue renaming row

One Surname, Two Legacies: Who Were The Suhrawardys Of West Bengal? Published By, Last Updated: June 22, 2026, 14:42 IST Kolkata’s Suhrawardy Avenue renaming row has spotlighted two very different legacies: one tied to Partition-era politics, the other to Bengal’s medical and academic history Rapid Read West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari praised the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s decision to rename the road after Gopal Mukherjee, popularly known as Gopal Patha. (AI-Generated Image) The decision to rename Kolkata’s Suhrawardy Avenue has revived interest in a family name deeply embedded in Bengal’s history. While the current debate has largely centered on the legacy of the road’s namesake, it has also highlighted a lesser-known historical fact—there were two prominent Suhrawardys whose contributions to the region were vastly different. One was Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, the last Premier of undivided Bengal and a towering political figure of the Partition era. The other was Hassan Suhrawardy, a pioneering surgeon, academic and institution-builder whose work helped shape modern medical education in Bengal. THE CONTROVERSY The distinction became particularly relevant on Sunday when West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari praised the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s decision to rename the road after Gopal Mukherjee, popularly known as Gopal Patha, who remains one of the most debated figures linked to the Hindu backlash against the killings and riots triggered by Direct Action Day in 1946.

Making his case for the renaming on X, Adhikari argued that a prominent Kolkata avenue had for decades commemorated a man he alleged was responsible for the misuse of state power and the victimisation of innocent people during political unrest. I commend the historic decision taken by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, yesterday, on the solemn occasion of Paschimbanga Divas, which would be instrumental in rectifying a historical wrong.Suhrawardy Avenue will now be renamed as Gopal Mukherjee Road.For decades, a major… pic.twitter.com/eUmZj1msE9 — Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) June 21, 2026 Many interpreted Adhikari’s remarks as a reference to Husseyn Shahid Suhrawardy, the last premier of undivided Bengal, whose role in the Direct Action Day riots of August 1946 remains fiercely debated. However, Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale pushed back, saying the road was not named after Husseyn Suhrawardy, often referred to by critics as the “Butcher of Bengal", but after another member of the Suhrawardy family. Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy: The Politician Born in 1892, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy emerged as one of the most influential Muslim politicians in late colonial India. Educated at Calcutta University and Oxford, he rose through Bengal’s turbulent political landscape to become Premier of Bengal in 1946. His name remains inseparable from the communal violence that engulfed Calcutta during the Direct Action Day riots of August 1946.