No ‘gallows’ on Delhi Assembly premises, clarifies Speaker Vijender Gupta

New Delhi, Aug 5 Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Tuesday shared a 1912 map of the legislature and informed MLAs that a room had been wrongly labelled as “gallows” by the previous government.

Responding to a matter raised by BJP’s Chief Whip Abhay Verma about the erroneous decision to put a plaque of “gallows” on the premises, the Speaker issued a statement dispelling doubts that the oldest seat of democracy in the city housed gallows during colonial rule.

Later, BJP member Ajay Mahawar demanded that the plaque be removed.

In his statement, Gupta said, “Where deliberations take place, there is Parliament; where there is an Assembly - how can there possibly be a gallows within the same premises? This is a natural question.”

The location now being publicised as a gallows is not a trivial matter - it concerns the dignity of this entire institution, said Gupta, who is engaged in a project to revive the building as a heritage structure.

Addressing the House, the Speaker said it has also been stated that a tunnel exists within this complex. “Upon consulting historians on the matter, it has been clarified that no such tunnel exists,” he said.

“What is being referred to is, in fact, ducting - space created for ventilation. At that time, resources were limited, and whenever such buildings were constructed underground, space was left for ventilation ducts. This is not unique to this building — similar provisions exist in the Parliament of India as well,” he said.

“With regard to the place which has been referred to as the 'gallows' - it is a matter of record that a plaque has been installed there, bearing the date August 9, 1942, and it was inaugurated as a tourist attraction, with the claim that a gallows once existed at that spot,” said Gupta.

However, the truth is that no gallows ever existed there, nor does one exist today, he said.

“The room in question is, in fact, a tiffin room. The wooden lift within it, meant for carrying food and other items, has been incorrectly described as a gallows and trapdoor,” he said.

The room of Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht is shown on the map as the “Viceroy’s Room.” Adjacent to it is a smoking room - in those days, separate rooms were designated for smoking, he said.

Similarly, there are members’ rooms. In those days, there were no “ministers” in the present sense; rather, there were positions such as “Member for Finance” and “Member for Education,” whose rooms are also clearly marked. The map explicitly states the intended use of each room, he said.

--IANS

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