In the ongoing monsoon session of Delhi Assembly, the House witnessed a political showdown after a fierce argument broke out over the historical authenticity of a structure claimed to be a British-era ‘phansi ghar’ (execution chamber), leading to the marshalling out of Leader of Opposition Atishi and several AAP MLAs.
On second day of the session, ruckus erupted during a heated debate between members of the ruling BJP and the Opposition, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), over a chamber located within the Assembly premises that the previous AAP-led government had identified and restored as a colonial-era execution room.Speaker Vijender Gupta firmly denied that the structure had any such grim past. “It was nothing more than a tiffin room,” he declared, accusing the AAP of distorting history for political drama. The speaker’s remarks provoked uproar from AAP legislators, prompting an escalating war of words across the aisle.
The controversial chamber was renovated and inaugurated in 2022 by then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who presented it as a symbol of India’s freedom struggle.AAP members maintained 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.”
Jha added that expert opinion and archaeological scrutiny should determine its true nature. “Let the Archaeological Survey of India examine it before drawing conclusions,” he said.BJP too had its own set accusations. Minister Kapil Mishra took sharp aim at the previous AAP regime, accusing it of “tampering with history” and insulting the memory of Indian freedom fighters. “They spent crores turning a tiffin room into a fake execution site,” Mishra alleged. “It’s a manufactured narrative meant to mislead the public and glorify their own leaders.”
The BJP leadership also questioned the timing and intention behind the inauguration, calling it a political stunt meant to fabricate a legacy for the ex-Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal-led government.
As the debate grew increasingly confrontational, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta ordered Atishi and several AAP members to be marshalled out of the Assembly chamber. The move came after repeated warnings were ignored and tempers flared on both sides.
Speaking outside the Assembly, Atishi condemned the speaker’s actions. “This is not just about a room—it’s about erasing history to target the legacy of a former chief minister. We will not be silenced,” she said.
At the heart of the controversy is a broader political and cultural debate: how India chooses to remember—or forget—its colonial past. While AAP argues that the execution room represents unacknowledged chapters of British tyranny, the BJP insists that historical accuracy must not be compromised for political symbolism.
AAP believes the structure in question to be the only such double-storey room in the Delhi Assembly building, allegedly designed to accommodate gallows. Historians remain divided on its exact purpose.The AAP has called for an independent archaeological investigation into the site while BJP shows no signs of backing down from its claim of historical misrepresentation.
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