Sunday 24 February 2008

Closing 771 year old police station of Balban's era in Delhi

The Kotwali police station, the oldest police station of Delhi, that survived for 771 years from the era of Sultan Balban, will soon be closed. It was established in 1237 AD and Fakhruddin was the first Kotwal.

The all-power Kotwal of India's capital during the Mughal era, sat here. It was this Chowki where Mirza Ghalib was caught and brought after his arrest for gambling, And itwas in this police chowki that Pt Nehru's grandfather Gangadhar Nehru was a Kotwal. Hundreds of Indian freedom fighters were hanged at the platform in front of this Kotwali after 1857 struggle for independence.

The great historian Ziauddin Burney has mentioned extensively about this chowki. Now the jurisdiction of Kotwali would be handed over to other police stations and the area divided amongst Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk and Daryaganj police stations.

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