The heritage house of the Parveen Babi family in Gujarat’s Junagadh, has been demolished in the last few days. However, nobody has the clue to who was behind the demolition.
In Junagadh’s Diwan Chowk, a huge Haveli was standing since over two centuries. The Haveli was popular in Junagadh as ‘Parveen Babi No Delo’ (‘Parveen Babi’s Gate’ in local dialect) Locals used to show it to any guests who come from out of station. But, suddenly the huge Haveli is demolished.
Parveen Babi, was linked to the Nawab of Junagadh through her aristocratic family lineage. Her father, served as an administrator for the Nawab and belonged to the ruling Babi dynasty, though she was born after the princely state's accession to India by Sardar Patel, making her family part of the former royalty but not ruling. She was born in Junagadh and her family had strong ties to the region's history, but she became famous as a glamorous actress in the 1970s and 80s, known for her bold roles.
According to Rehab Babi, Secretary of Junagadh Babi Family, “Parveen Babi was the only kid of their parents and her father was also the only kid so there were no direct in-line heritors to her property. After Parveen died, her maternal uncle (mama) Muradkhan Babi had laid the claim for the 54-room Haveli. After that two other family members also laid there claim, which has resulted in legal disputes between them. The legal battle is still in the court.”
Locals believe that the property was in the custody of the administration and the demolition has been done by them. Junagadh administration has declared that Parveen Babi’s Haveli is not under government possession and they do not have any role in the demolition.”
According to Advocate A Maniar, “Either there is a third party or an internal person who has taken advantage of no-surveillance over this ancient disputed haveli and earned from it. Since this was a heritage property, the administration should check CCTVs of surrounding area and investigate into the matter.”
According to Parveen Babi’s cousin Shahnazben Babi, “the haveli had high quality teak wood, carving and other articles weighing in thousands of kilos. We feel very sorry that it is destroyed. If somebody has demolished it and earned few lakhs from it, the administration should take them to task for harming this important heritage structure.” Shahnazben’s mother was the sister of Parveen Babi’s sister and when Parveen died in 2006, Shehnaazben and his brother Asfaq executed the last rites.
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