Delhi's 'Phansi Ghar' Controversy: Privilege Committee Summons Kejriwal and Sisodia Over Historical Authenticity Dispute

File photo of Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia.

The controversy surrounding Delhi Assembly's 'Phansi Ghar' (gallows chamber) has escalated significantly, with the Committee of Privileges issuing summons to former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, former Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, and former Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla for questioning.

The committee, led by BJP MLA Pradyumn Singh Rajput, will convene on November 13 to investigate the authenticity of the structure that was unveiled by the Aam Aadmi Party government in 2022. The current BJP administration has described the chamber as a "fabricated site," claiming the previous AAP leadership distorted historical facts and misappropriated public funds.

The BJP's stance is that this represents a "distortion of history." The dispute emerged after the newly elected government ordered the dismantling of the 'Phansi Ghar,' claiming it was never actually a gallows chamber but simply a service staircase used during British colonial rule for delivering food to officers.

In the September Assembly session, Speaker Vijender Gupta alleged that the previous AAP government spent ₹1 crore to transform the area into what appeared to be a prison, complete with murals depicting freedom fighters, symbolic iron bars, and a pair of nooses.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta condemned the site as "a gross distortion of history, an insult to our martyrs, and a betrayal of public trust," announcing an investigation and instructing officials to register an FIR regarding the alleged misuse of public funds.

The AAP has vigorously contested these accusations, claiming the BJP government is politicizing what should be a historical debate. "The BJP has turned the privilege committee into a political weapon to distract from its failures," the party stated. "Elections are long over, it's time for the BJP to govern, not play politics."

AAP representatives have challenged the legal basis of the privilege committee's summons, referring to Supreme Court precedents that allegedly prevent a successor Assembly from acting on matters related to a previous term.

The controversy originates from 2016, when a tunnel was discovered beneath the Assembly building, which was constructed in 1912 during the British era when the imperial capital moved from Calcutta to Delhi.

In 2021, then-Speaker Goel announced the discovery of a "hanging house" on the premises, with its entrance located just below the Assembly hall floor. The AAP government subsequently renovated and inaugurated the site as a 'Phansi Ghar,' presenting it as a significant element of India's colonial history.

The chamber, situated adjacent to the main hall, displayed British-era shackles, what was claimed to be an original noose, and artifacts reportedly belonging to freedom fighters. Kejriwal led the inauguration ceremony, which coincided with the dedication of a memorial honoring Covid warriors.

In defense of the project, AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha has maintained that the site holds historical importance. "Historians have differing views on such places. The 1912 building map shows this as the only double-storey structure consistent with a hanging chamber," he stated, cautioning against what he described as an attempt to "whitewash British tyranny."

Jha has also encouraged the government to engage the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a scientific examination of the site's materials.