Row over gallows flares up in Assembly

On the third day of the Monsoon session, the Delhi Assembly witnessed a heated exchange between BJP and AAP MLAs over the so-called British-era gallows leading to the marshalling out of Leader of Opposition (LoP) Atishi and other AAP MLAs.

The Speaker mentioned that the House would take action on the matter on Thursday and adjourned it to meet on the next day at 2 pm.

While addressing a press conference in the Assembly earlier in the day, Speaker Gupta refuted the claims of an execution room on the premises of the 115-year-old historical building.

He even organised a guided tour to the “phansi ghar” (gallows room) for mediapersons on the Assembly premises.

“This building is not just 115 years old, it is a living testament to India’s political evolution,” Gupta said during the tour, adding that, “From the decision to shift the capital to Delhi, to the crafting of this chamber in record time, its history must be told with accuracy and reverence.”

In a discussion over the issue, Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra criticised the AAP stating that the dignity of democracy and the sacrifices of martyrs had been repeatedly dishonoured.

“Our brave martyrs went to the gallows with pride, but a fake gallows was built inside the Assembly premises as a mockery. This is perhaps the greatest sin committed by the previous government. They created a fake rope, fake noose and fake platform. It is an insult to the sacrifice of our freedom fighters,” Mishra said.

“The previous government was completely rooted in corruption. Fake Chief Minister, fake government, fake work, fake promises and now a fake gallows. Lies were spread in the name of martyrs, crores of rupees were wasted on creating this sham and the dignity of historical buildings was compromised,” he said.

The minister said “tampering with Delhi’s historical heritage and the Assembly’s legacy was a direct assault on the values of our nation and the honour of our martyrs”.

However, AAP legislators mentioned that the room held historical relevance and accused the BJP of attempting to erase colonial atrocities for political convenience.

“Many British execution sites were never officially documented,” said AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha. “This double-storey structure, mentioned in the 1912 map of the building, closely matches the characteristics of a hanging chamber,” he said.

The MLA demanded that an expert opinion and archaeological scrutiny should determine its true nature.

As the arguments from members of both sides intensified, the Speaker ordered Atishi and other AAP MLAs to be marshalled out.