3 min readAug 18, 2013 01:32 AM IST
First published on: Aug 18, 2013 at 01:32 AM IST
As one walks past the curio shops of Meena Bazaar,a popular tourist haunt at Delhi’s Red Fort complex,it is easy to miss a side-lane that leads to Salimgarh Fort — home to the haunted of the imposing fortress within. While many jostle for space at the ubiquitous Diwan-e-Aam,few venture into Salimgarh. Even the plaques dotting the stretch do not quite give away its location.
However,as one negotiates this less-taken stretch,recesses of the monument resound with tales of the dead held captive for decades. The most striking among them is the story of a group of soldiers of the Indian National Army,who were subjected to torture for days on end within the fort’s seamless walls by the British Empire.
“We have heard tales about freedom fighters being imprisoned at the fort during India’s struggle for independence. Many of them were tortured to death. People believe that they haunt the fort still. I haven’t had any supernatural experience,” says S S Khan,a CISF personnel whose camp is in the Salimgarh Fort area.
Portions of the monument predate the Red Fort by nearly a century. It was built in mid-sixteenth century by Sher Shah Suri’s son,Salim Shah. Following the Revolt of 1857,the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar also stayed at the Salimgarh Fort before being exiled to Rangoon. When the Indian National Army trials took place in 1944-46,the soldiers of INA were put away in the jails at Salimgarh.
Thus,a handful of those familiar with the story say that the fort’s rocky facade echoes the voices of these imprisoned soldiers being dragged by chains. “People have told us stories about hearing strange voices late at night. When they have followed the sound and tried to found its source,most have not found anything,while some claim to have seen some kind of apparitions,” said a jewellery shop assistant at Meena Bazaar.
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb used Salimgarh as a state prison,in which he jailed his eldest daughter Zebunissa for her indulgence in poetry and music — unacceptable in Islam as perceived by the orthodox emperor. The fort was home to the Mughal princess during the 20 years of her incarceration,which did not deter her artistic pursuits.
Zebunissa is believed to have continued writing under a pen name even under her father’s vigil. Her daunting spirit is said to assail the fortress walls even to this day,with history enthusiasts giving a supernatural spin to a mere metaphor.
Share
