A police storeroom with Husain's art, Bhagat Singh pamphlets, Phoolan Devi’s bed
Two artworks by MF Husain were seized in Delhi due to obscenity claims and are now stored in a police evidence room filled with historic artifacts.
Last month, two artworks by iconic painter MF Husain were confiscated from an art gallery in Delhi and sent to a large padlocked, fortified room that serves as the “maalkhana”, or storage area, of the Parliament Street police station. The grounds for the seizure was a court case filed by a local advocate who found the drawings “obscene” and said they hurt her religious sentiments.
While the case is being heard in a city court, the artworks are now stored in a place that is a veritable treasure trove in its own right — it has the usual accoutrement of posters and documents; but there’s more.
From the pamphlets freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt hurled in the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi on April 8, 1929 to bandit-turned-parliamentarian Phoolan Devi’s gold bangles, from a diamond necklace seized 50 years ago from either a former Union minister or their relatives to an unclaimed, an undated artefact locked away in a wooden cupboard — the items stored here under a strict vigil are a combination of historic artefacts and high-value objects that have been quietly gathering dust for decades.
Tucked away within the busy confines of the police station, the room is accessible only to two people — the maalkhana in-charge and his helper. Even the station house officer (SHO) needs a sign-off to walk into the space, which is covered from floor to ceiling with overflowing shelves, racks and cupboards.
The room was built in 1913. The complex was first a residential area for security personnel to protect Raisina Hillbut was designated a police station in 1920, less than a decade after Delhi was named the Capital of colonial India. The maalkhana hasn’t changed in 105 years, said an officer, a claim the station house officer corroborated. Changes are particularly tenuous given that the police will need the permission of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) for most alterations.
The room has two entrances and each is fortified with a thick iron gate locked every time the room is left empty. Police said the iron structure and gates also date back to the 1920s.
As a police station built in the centre of the new capital 27 years before Independence, a steady stream of antiques and precious material made its way to Parliament Street.
“The evidence room houses seizures from high-profile cases, including belongings from Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt in the 1929 bomb blast, Bandit Queen Phoolan Devi’s gold bangles and bed.” said an officer in the New Delhi district.
“We also havehalf a dozen luxury bags and belongings of a former Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer who was deputed in several Asian and European countries but was arrested during the Emergency,” said the officer.
Other evidence includes cellphones, bags, papers, jewellery, clothing and even lamps, said officers aware of the room’s inventory.
While most evidence at the maalkhaana is returned to the complainant after the case is over, some evidence either remains unclaimed or is kept at the station, as a case awaits a distant end.
A senior police officer said they also have remnants of a bomb and the bomb residue from multiple attempts and attacks around and near the Parliament building. Police, however, were tight-lipped on the details of these seizures, arguing that the cases are all “sensitive”.
A senior police officer outlined the process used to keep the Husains pristine.
“Both sketches were taken in wooden frames. They were then wrapped in paper and sheets and then bubble-wrapped. These pieces have been placed carefully in a cupboard in the middle of the maalkhana. There was no glass cover on the sketches to ensure they don’t break while shifting,” said the officer, who asked not to be named.
Keeping the works away from the walls, which are prone to leaks and damp during heavy rains, was crucial, said deputy commissioner of police Devesh Mahla.
“We paste barcode stickers on each piece, so that if the court or any party wants to retrieve the evidence, it can be handed over easily. This helps sort the evidence by case and avoid mishaps,” he said.
An official from DAG, the gallery from where the pieces were taken in January, told HT that the artworks should be maintained “as per the safety and care standards provided by DAG... to ensure protection from any damage”.
In a statement on January 23, DAG said that advocate Amita Sachdeva complaint against the pieces by Husain, a painter in equal measures controversial and venerated, was “malicious”.
“DAG also intends to pursue its own legal remedies against the complainant for the false and mala fide accusations made by her,” said the gallery.
Till they return to the carefully lit and cured walls of an art gallery, Husain’s pieces have Delhi’s history for company in the maalkhana at the Parliament Street police station.