Once a symbol of the oppressive British regime in India, the administrative Writers’ Building was the target of a bloody rebel attack said to echo hauntingly long after India’s independence.
Kolkata’s Writers’ Building (মহাকরণ) is a beautiful colonial-era structure that has been the center of power and politics in West Bengal for over 200 years. The red stoned Writers’ Building is a 150 meter long building right by the Lal Dighi and Tank Square.
The building often shortened to just Writers was for the East India Company to house the junior level servants who were then called ‘Writers’ and because of this the building got its name.
Read more: Check out all of the ghost stories from India
But beyond its grand facade lies a dark and eerie history, one that has left many visitors spooked and intrigued. You see, the Writer’s Building is said to be haunted by the spirits of British colonial officers and Indian freedom fighters who perished within its walls.
The History of the Writers’ Building
The Writer’s Building, located in the heart of Kolkata, was originally built as the office of the East India Company in the late 18th century. It was later occupied by the British colonial government, and during the Indian independence movement, it became a symbol of British power and oppression for the local Indians.
The building has seen many significant events, including the assassination of Sir William Hay Macnaghten, the British envoy to Afghanistan, in 1841. It was also the site of several historic protests and rallies during the Indian freedom struggle, including the Quit India Movement.
Therefore the Writers Building has a reputation of being haunted by both unhappy scribes that worked there as well as people that died during the fight for independence.
The Shooting in Writers’ Building
On December 8, 1930, Badal Gupta, together with Dinesh Gupta and Benoy Basu was on a mission from the underground revolutionary group Bengal Volunteers against the British rule of India.
Disguised in European attire, infiltrated the Writers’ Building with loaded revolvers and fatally shot Simpson, a police inspector known for treating the Indian and political prisoners horrible.
In response, the police within the building engaged in a brief exchange of gunfire with the three young revolutionaries. The police eventually subdued them, but the trio had no intention of being apprehended. Badal ingested Potassium cyanide, while Benoy and Dinesh used their own revolvers to take their lives.
Badal succumbed on the spot, at just 18 years old during this tragic incident. Benoy survived before dying five days later in the hospital. Dinesh lived only to be hanged the next year.
The trio have later been known as freedom fighters and the Dalhousie Square is named after them with a statue of them outside of the Writers Building.
Haunted Stories Associated with the Building
Bengalis have at least 15 words for ghosts based on the spirit’s caste, marital status, behavior and the fate suffered in the pre-paranormal past. Most of the ghost stories are told from security that are patrolling the building when it’s empty. They say they hear rattling windows when there is no wind, or the sound of typing from machines from locked and empty rooms.
These disturbances have become so disconcerting that none of the security staff will venture there alone at night.
Ever since its attack, it is also believed that the brutal police man, Simpson and possibly the trio that shot him are haunting the building.
The Wounded Ghost
During the 1970s a night guard named Munshiram told about his ghostly experiences in a Calcutta newspaper. He said that while patrolling the first-floor corridor of the first block, he encountered a ghostly white man, dressed in a suit and appearing gravely injured, bending over in agony.
This spectral figure emerged from the Central Despatch Office and was followed by several shadowy entities. Simultaneously, Munshiram heard the haunting sound of heavy boots ascending the staircase. Frightened, he called out to the sentry on block one before fainting.
The Ghost Party
In Munshiram’s recollection, the entire first floor was inhabited by several resident spirits, including another harrowing experience in block three. While on duty in the block’s secured area, he noticed a neon light illuminating a minister’s chamber and distinctly heard music.
Believing an emergency meeting was underway, he entered the room and witnessed men in old fashioned attire engaged in what appeared to be a drunken party. Munshiram’s screams summoned police personnel, but by the time they arrived, the room had reverted to darkness and emptiness.
The Ghost of the Housekeeper
It is also said that a Zamiruddin, that is the head of housekeeping at Writer once saw an armed security guard outside of the toilet in block five. Allegedly where a worker had died of a heart attack.
Another tale from the 70s is from the security guard called Mehboob that was working on the first floor of block four that heard the sound of something falling and when rushing out in the corridor, he found a body dressed in an expensive suit laying there. However, when he called over other people working that night, there was nothing to see except an empty room.
Also when a bust of the three freedom fighters were going to be installed on the first floor in 1967, a man called Roy saw an European man come out from the Chief Minister’s office. Thinking it was someone trying to ruin the event held in their honor, he followed the man who just vanished into thin air.
The Haunted Writers’ Building
The Writer’s Building is a beautiful and historic structure that has been at the center of power and politics in West Bengal for over 200 years. But beyond its grand facade lies a dark and eerie history, one that has left many visitors spooked and intrigued.
Over the years, the Writer’s Building has undergone many renovations and upgrades, but it has managed to retain its colonial charm and grandeur. Today, it houses the offices of the West Bengal government, and its corridors and rooms are filled with the hustle and bustle of bureaucrats and politicians. But despite its modern-day importance, the building’s haunted history continues to fascinate and terrify visitors.
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References:
Colonial conundrums and spirited sojourns – The Statesman
Kolkata is fertile ground for Indian ghost stories – Los Angeles Times
Writer’s Building, Kolkata: Origin and interesting facts
Hauntings and history blend at Writers’ Building
Hauntings and history blend at Writers’ Building
Writer’s Building, Kolkata: Origin and interesting facts
