In a significant move to shed colonial influences, the Indian Army has decided to rename Kolkata’s Fort William, which serves as the headquarters for its Eastern Command, as ‘Vijay Durg’. This decision was made in December 2024, and the new name has already been adopted in internal military communications, although an official announcement is still pending.

Wing Commander Himanshu Tiwari, the Chief Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Defence in Kolkata, confirmed the change to the significant media platform India Today TV, stating that the decision was finalised in December 2024.

“The order came in the second week of December but it has yet to be formally announced. However, we have stopped using Fort William in internal communications,” Tiwari told reporters.

The historic marvel Fort William, constructed by the British in 1781, was named in honour of King William III of England. The decision to rename it to Vijay Durg pays tribute to the Sindhudurg fort on Maharashtra’s coast, which was an essential naval stronghold for the Marathas during the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This change represents India’s shift toward honouring its military legacy rather than holding on to colonial symbols.

The fort has a total of six gates: Chowringhee, Plassey, Calcutta, Water Gate, St George's and Treasury.

The Army has changed the name of St George's Gate to Shivaji Gate, explaining that the decision to rename the fort and several historical structures within it was made in November-December.

"We have renamed Kitchener House as Manekshaw House," the Defence Official said.

Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, who served as the Chief of Army Staff during the India-Pakistan war of 1971, which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh, is the namesake of the building.

Kitchener House was initially named after HH Kitchener, the First Earl of Khartoum.

Additionally, the Army has renamed Russell Block inside the fort to Bagha Jatin Block in honour of freedom fighter Jatindranath Mukherjee, popularly known as Bagha Jatin, who died in a gunfight with the British police in Balasore, Odisha, in 1915.

This renaming is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government’s ongoing effort to ‘decolonise’ various institutions, landmarks, and military establishments. Recent efforts in this direction include the renaming of Rajpath to Kartavya Path, changes to the names of landmarks in the Andaman Islands, and a revamp of military traditions to better reflect indigenous history.