Bhagat Singh’s historic alma mater in Lahore on brink of decay

LAHORE - Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh’s alma mater in Lahore, Bradlaugh Hall, is facing decay and may become a heap of bricks and building material if Pakistani authorities continue ignore the grand building.

Muhammad Iqbal Ashraf, registrar of the Milli Technical Idara (MTI), said that the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) had allotted a portion of the historical hall to a person who started stealing steel and other building material from the hall.

A case was registered against the person at the Lower Mall Police, after which the police sealed the hall in June.

He also claimed that repeated applications sent to Punjab Chief Minister, ETPB Chairman and other authorities to allow teachers to open the school have been unproductive.

Apart from Bhagat Singh, Charles Bradlaugh, Lala Lajpat Rai, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Ajeet Singh and Jawaharlal Nehru are some of the important figures associated with the Bradlaugh Hall.

It was also used for hosting important meetings of Congress before the partition of India and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, a number of locals of Rattigan Road in Lahore said that the government must realize the political and cultural significance of the hall, and demanded its immediate conservation as a museum for independence revolution.

“The hall must be rebuilt and renovated and its walls should be decorated with the portraits or sculptors of the important personalities who have been related to it,” The News quoted Rao Javed Iqbal, the Lohkot Cultural and Heritage Society Chairman, as saying.

He also appealed to the government to take a swift action before its too late. (ANI)