2 police stations in Delhi to highlight contributions of Bhagat Singh, Gandhi to freedom struggle

PTI

New Delhi, February 6

Delhi’s Parliament Street and Tughlak Road police stations will soon be revamped to highlight their historical significance and connections to freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, officials said on Sunday.

The two police stations, which are drenched in multicolour lights every night, will soon have posters with quotes of Singh and Gandhi, reminding people about their contributions to the Indian freedom struggle.

Police officials said the idea is to celebrate the two legends and create awareness among people about their history associated with the police stations.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Deepak Yadav said, “Two of our police stations in the district—Parliament Street and Tughlak Road are heritage buildings. We have already started facade lighting at these stations. However, taking it forward, we are now in the process of putting up posters with quotes on the walls of the stations to commemorate memories of our freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and Gandhiji.” “As part of the initiative, we have also planned to make arrangements to play ‘bhajans’ and patriotic songs within the available open premises of the two police stations,” he said.

Yadav said the work has already begun.

“At Parliament Street police station, we have already put up a huge board with lighting in the background with pictures and quotes of Singh and other related information in the gallery area,” he said.

“At Tughlak Road police station, facade lighting has been put up but we are yet to put up posters of Gandhi ji. We are in the process of doing that,” he added.

At the entrance of Parliament Street police station, a huge board with a photo of Singh on the right reads: “It is easy to kill individuals but you cannot kill the ideas. Great empires crumbled, while the ideas survived - Bhagat Singh.”

Singh was lodged in a lock-up at this police station in connection with the Assembly Bombing case in April 1929.

Elaborating why Singh was chosen, a senior police officer said at 12.30 pm on April 8, 1929, Singh along with freedom fighter Batukeshwar Dutt hurled two bombs inside the Central Legislative Assembly in the jurisdiction of Parliament Street police station.

“They raised the slogans of ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ there and threw pamphlets into the hall. They did not flee and courted arrest.

“An FIR was registered at Parliament Street police station and both of them were kept in the lock-up of this police station. This act of Bhagat Singh is considered to be a part of one of the most illustrious chapters of the freedom struggle,” the officer said.

The trial of the Assembly Bombing case began in the first week of June 1929. On June 12, both Singh and Dutt were sentenced to life imprisonment. In the meantime, they were connected to the 1928 John Saunders murder case in Lahore and arrested in that as well, the officer said.

Singh was taken to Lahore. After the trial, he was executed along with Rajguru and Sukhdev on March 23, 1931, he said.

Besides Singh’s detention during the freedom struggle, the station is also known for the Bandit Queen case, the officer said.

In 2014, Congress leaders Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were also detained at the police station for protesting against the BJP government.

The officer said Parliament Street police station was built in 1913 to protect the Raisina Hills encompassing the President House, North and South blocks as well as Parliament. According to police, Tughak Road police station, which was built in the 1930s and set up in 1941, is where the FIR of Gandhiji’s assassination was registered.

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