Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said that a tunnel was discovered connecting the Vidhan Sabha and Red Fort on 2nd September. While there is not much information about the secret path, it “was used by Britishers to avoid reprisal while moving freedom fighters.” Officials concerned have decided to allow public visits to the tunnel from 15 August, next year.
No digging in the path: Niwas Goel
The Legislative Assembly Speaker added
“When I became an MLA in 1993, there was hearsay about a tunnel present here that goes till Red Fort and I tried to search for its history. But there was no clarity over it”.
“Now we have got the mouth of the tunnel but we are not digging it further as all the paths of the tunnel have been destroyed due to metro projects and sewer installations,” he added.
Room will be changed as a shrine of freedom fighters
The Legislative Assembly further added
“We all knew about the presence of a gallows room here but never opened it. Now it was the 75th year of independence and I decided to inspect that room. We intend to change that room into a shrine of freedom fighters as a tribute to them”.
“This place has a very rich history in the context of the freedom struggle. We intend to renovate it in a way that tourists and visitors can get a reflection of our history,” he said.
Briefing about the Legislative Assembly and Red Fort
The distance between Delhi Legislative Assembly and the Red Fort is about 5 kms. In 1912,The Delhi Legislative Assembly building was constructed during British rule and was designed by E. Montague Thomas. The historic Red Fort was built during the Mughal era and was commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1638, the fifth Mughal emperor.
