History

Tunnel Used By British To Secretly Take Indian Independence Fighters To Court Discovered In Delhi Legislative Assembly

A colonial-era tunnel apparently used by the British to secretly bring Indian independence fighters to court has been found in the Delhi Legislative Assembly building in the Indian capital.

The tunnel-like structure was discovered in the Old Secretariat building, which houses the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Originally constructed in 1912, the building was designed by E. Montague Thomas.

A British-era tunnel was discovered at the Delhi Legislative Assembly, that connects to the Red Fort, in India, in September, 2021. (Newsflash)

It originally held the Imperial Legislative Council and later the Central Legislative Assembly until the inauguration of the newly-built Parliament House in New Delhi in 1927.

The tunnel connects the Old Secretariat building to the Red Fort, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The two buildings lie some 2.5 miles apart, and it is not clear when the tunnel connecting them was dug.

A British-era tunnel was discovered at the Delhi Legislative Assembly, that connects to the Red Fort, in India, in September, 2021. (Newsflash)

Delhi Legislative Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said on Thursday, 2nd September: “When I became an MLA in 1993, there was hearsay about a tunnel present here that goes till Red Fort and I tried to search for its history. But there was no clarity over it.

“Now we have got the mouth of the tunnel but we are not digging it further as all the paths of the tunnel have been destroyed due to metro projects and sewer installations.”

The Old Secretariat building was turned into a court in 1926 and it is believed that the British used the tunnel to bring Indians who were fighting against colonial rule to the court without them being seen.

A British-era tunnel was discovered at the Delhi Legislative Assembly, that connects to the Red Fort, in India, in September, 2021. (Newsflash)

It is unclear how many independence fighters were taken to the court via the tunnel and what their fate was.

Goel said: “We all knew about the presence of a gallows room here but never opened it. Now it was the 75th year of independence and I decided to inspect that room. We intend to change that room into a shrine of freedom fighters as a tribute to them.”

The Indian Independence Movement started in 1857 with the First War of Independence, or Sepoy Mutiny, and finally achieved its goal in 1947, with India becoming a republic three years later.

According to Indian opposition MP Shashi Tharoor, Britain was responsible for the deaths of 35 million Indians.

A British-era tunnel was discovered at the Delhi Legislative Assembly, that connects to the Red Fort, in India, in September, 2021. (Newsflash)

He called for the UK to pay reparations to India in a 2015 plea that was praised at the time by his political adversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Despite this, a 2014 BBC World Service poll found that 43 per cent of Indians view the UK’s influence as positive, compared to just 27 per cent who view it negatively.

Goel said of the tunnel: “This place has a very rich history in the context of the freedom struggle. We intend to renovate it in a way that tourists and visitors can get a reflection of our history.”

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