Haryana: Hansi’s historical sites now den of drug addicts
Even as the Hisar administration is planning to start a special bus service to take tourists to various historical sites in the city, it is faced with a peculiar challenge— most of these sites have become a safe haven for drug addicts and have been encroached upon by squatters.
When HT visited the three main historical sites in the city—Asigarh Fort also known as Prithviraj Chauhan Fort, Char Qutub Dargah and Lal Sadak— empty bottles of liquor and used syringes were found strewn on the ground.
Bhup Singh, a historian and the author of the book, Hansi ka Itihas, says, “It is true that important historical sites such as Lal Sadak, Asigarh Fort and Char Qutub area, have turned into safe spaces for drug addicts. We have often seen college students indulging in illegal activities at these spots and informed the local administration but to no avail.”
Speaking about the menace, Ram Kishan, a sewadaar at the Char Qutub Dargah, says, “We take care of the main dargah but there are three other tombs behind it which have become a favourite haunt of the addicts. When we ask them to leave, they start fighting with us. Our several complaints to the police have proved fruitless.”
Chand Miyan, the main sewadaar at the Char Qutub dargah, rues that the place is losing its charm due to the drug addicts. “Char Qutub is an important worship site for the Muslim community. People from all communities visit the dargah to offer their prayers. But the anti-social elements are ruining the place,” he said.
When contacted, Hisar deputy commissioner Priyanka Soni said, “Yes I have come to know about the matter and we will be installing better lighting system and deploying more guards at these sites to rein in on the anti-social elements. I will also write to Hansi superintendent of police to take stock of the situation.”
Though a source in the local administration claimed that a survey had found 164 families living close to the Asigarh Fort illegally, the DC refuted the claims. “I have no such information as of now but I will look into it,” she said.
A WALK THROUGH HISTORY
ASIGARH FORT: Known as the Prithviraj Chauhan fort, it has been declared a centrally protected monument by the Archaeological Survey of India. This fort is more than 1,000 years old and was surviving till 1857, when its greater part was demolished
CHAR QUTUB DARGAH: The Char Qutub dargah is a group of monuments celebrating the resting place of Sufi saints Jamal-ud-Din Hanswi (1187-1261 AD), Burhan-ud Din (1261-1303 AD), Qutab-ud-Din Munawwar (1300-1354 AD) and Nur-ud-Din or Nur-e-Jahan (1325-1397 AD).
LAL SADAK: Though the popular belief is that the main road of Hansi is known as the Lal Sadak as Britishers had crushed the freedom fighters under road rollers and their blood was spilt on the road. But historians Jagdish Chander and Bhup Singh state that it was named so because of the colour of the stones used to construct the road.