New Delhi [India], August 5 : The Delhi Legislative Assembly House witnessed uproar over the issue of 'Phansi Ghar' on Tuesday. Speaker Vijendra Gupta, Ministers and the ruling party MLAs dismissed the claim, citing archives and official documents, while the opposition accused them of erasing symbols of the freedom struggle.
Speaker of the Delhi Assembly clarified that the so-called 'Phansi Ghar' (execution house) inaugurated by the previous government was a misrepresented Tiffin Room with an old goods lift. According to archival records, the space was used for daily administrative functions, not for executions.
"The previous government had formally inaugurated what they termed a 'Phansi Ghar' inside the Delhi Assembly. However, archival records clearly show that this was, in fact, a Tiffin Room with an old lift used for transporting goods, not a site of execution. It is unfortunate that a space once used for daily administrative functions was misrepresented as a place of capital punishment," said the Speaker in the Assembly.
BJP MLA and Chief Whip of Delhi Assembly, Abhay Verma, further added, "This is a glaring example of how history can be distorted. The then Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal) inaugurated this so-called "Phansi Room' under false pretences. This is a goods lift. There is no record, either in archives or historical texts, of any 'Phansi Ghar' existing here. We demand that the misleading plaque be removed and the narrative corrected immediately."
BJP MLA Ajay Mahawar called for a formal censure motion to be held on this issue, condemning the spread of historical misinformation. However, Speaker Vijendra Gupta said that, "Tomorrow, also discussion will be continued on this issue and will allow the opposition to present any verifiable documentation to support their earlier claims."
Notably, while the debate over the so-called gallows room was unfolding in the Delhi Assembly, a delegation from the British Parliament was present in the House. The timing of the discussion sparked sharp reactions from the opposition benches. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Jarnail Singh strongly criticised the ruling party and Speaker Vijender Gupta for raising the issue during the British delegation's visit, calling it an affront to India's freedom struggle.
"An attempt is being made to deny symbols of our freedom struggle in front of the British delegation," Singh said during the discussion.
"Even ChatGPT mentions that there was a 'Phansi Room here," he added, referencing the AI tool to support his claim.