Delhi Assembly Controversy: Kejriwal Says Freedom Fighters’ Gallows Area Being Labelled as Tiffin Room

The Delhi Assembly faces tension as AAP accuses BJP of redefining a historic hangings chamber as a tiffin room, challenging established records about the site and its use during colonial rule, with implications for heritage and governance.

Delhi Assembly politics has turned tense over a dispute about a room inside the historic building. Aam Aadmi Party national convener and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that a former hanging chamber is now being described as a tiffin room by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Kejriwal said this change of description insults the memory of freedom fighters and disrespects history.

Kejriwal stated that Delhi Assembly is not a regular office block but a heritage structure. The building was constructed in 1912, after the British administration shifted India’s capital from Kolkata to Delhi. According to Kejriwal, part of this complex functioned as a gallows area, where freedom fighters were executed during colonial rule.

Delhi Assembly Controversy and historical claims

The Aam Aadmi Party leader said the information about the alleged hanging chamber was first shared in 2022. That year, then Speaker Ram Niwas Goel briefed Kejriwal about a corner of the Assembly that was described as a place where executions happened under British rule. Kejriwal linked this claim directly to the wider history of the freedom struggle.

Kejriwal recounted that there was also a proposal to allow public access to this part of the building. The suggestion aimed to let citizens and tourists view the site and understand the sacrifices of those who fought British rule. Kejriwal said the spot was formally opened after this suggestion, turning it into a symbolic reminder of the independence movement.

Kejriwal said, "In this building, in 2022, the then Speaker Ram Niwas Goel informed me that in one corner of this building there was a hanging chamber. In that hanging chamber, freedom fighters used to be hanged. Goel sahib had called me and said that this place should be opened for tourists."

Delhi Assembly Controversy and BJP’s stand

According to Kejriwal, the stance of authorities changed after the formation of a BJP government in Delhi. Kejriwal claimed that the new political leadership refused to acknowledge the room as a gallows site. Instead, the same space is now being officially called a tiffin room, which Kejriwal described as an attempt to deny and belittle the role of freedom fighters.

The former Chief Minister said AAP representatives were called to the Assembly and asked to prove that the room once served as a hanging chamber. Kejriwal argued that the earlier decision to mark it as such followed a detailed examination by then Speaker Ram Niwas Goel. Kejriwal further questioned what documentary or historical evidence BJP has to support the new tiffin room claim.

Describing the dispute as politically driven, Kejriwal alleged that BJP is focusing on confrontation rather than governance in the national capital. Kejriwal said the party is making an attempt to divert attention from Delhi’s issues and accused BJP of creating controversies instead of prioritising development. Kejriwal argued that under the current arrangement, more attention is going to political clashes than to everyday issues in Delhi.