ACs, false ceilings, toilets: How centuries-old Gumti tomb ‘transformed’ to house Defence Colony RWA office

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court slammed both the DCWA and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) over alleged encroachment of the Gumti tomb. “How dare you (DCWA) enter this? How dare you?” a livid bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said. The SC, hearing a plea to protect the structure, then ordered the appointment of an expert to assess the damage caused by encroachments and suggest measures for restoration.

When The Indian Express visited the site Wednesday, it found a board outside sporting the association’s name. Inside, there are two ACs, almirahs and cupboards stacked with files, and various modern installations — a keys closet pinned to the wall, a portion of the wall painted black with names of the 30 RWA presidents since 1990 written on it. The structure’s dome, once adorned with ornamental kangura battlements, has been significantly altered with plaster and paint.

When contacted, no response was received from the ASI in this regard.

The DCWA did not respond either.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court slammed both the DCWA and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) over alleged encroachment of the Gumti tomb. (Express Photo)

Since the RWA occupied the building in 1990, the numerous unauthorised modifications have been detailed in a report by the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) such as installation of false ceilings, tiled flooring, and aluminium doors and windows. Additional structures, including toilets adjoining one side of the tomb and a shed on another, have been added along with modifications like plumbing and electrical installations, the report said. The original stonework is now obscured by layers of distemper paint, and two graves that used to once exist around it, mentioned in Zafar Hasan’s List Of Muhammadan And Hindu Monuments, are no longer visible, it further said.

In 2012, Delhi’s Department of Archaeology assigned the conservation of the Gumti tomb, and two other monuments, to the SRDC. The Architectural Cell of Jamia Millia Islamia submitted proposals aimed at elevating these sites from mere “built heritage” to recognised “cultural heritage.” However, work on the ground did not begin.

Several historians stressed the importance of the monument. Historian Swapna Liddle said, “I don’t think we have very much on it (Gumti)… There are so many such tombs in Delhi but it’s of great significance simply because it’s old. When… Defence Colony was being planned, the planners realised the tomb was of special significance, so they laid a park across it and the whole settlement was planned around it.”

Author and filmmaker Sohail Hashmi, tracing the monument’s origins, suggested that the tomb dates back to the Sultanate period, likely constructed around the same time as Kotla Mubarakpur — a medieval settlement that has now transformed into a bustling South Delhi marketplace.

Hashmi said, “Delhi once had approximately 3,000 such structures in 1920, but by 2010, only 2,000 had remained. The fact that over 1,000 have vanished over the decades means these structures need to be saved. Every lost monument is a piece of history erased… Not much is recorded as to when the Gumti was made or who Shaikh Ali, after whom it has been named was, but given its architectural features, it is likely a post-Lodi structure from the late 14th or early 15th century.”

Rameen Khan, founder of City Tales, which conducts heritage walks in Delhi, said: “Delhi has a dubious record of having multiple abandoned tombs that have been reused in such a way that their heritage gets threatened or lost… Gumti Shaikh Ali is one of those on the unfortunate list…”