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‘Hyderi Manjil’, the Building where Mahatma Gandhi stayed In 1947 to open as Museum on October 2

Photographs of Mahatma Gandhi’s 1947 stay at Beliaghata in Kolkata and articles used by him during the over three-week period when he tried to douse the flames of communal violence will be on display from October 2 at the house that hosted him.

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7 years ago

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Hyderi Manjil', the Building where Mahatma Gandhi stayed In 1947

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Photograph of Hyderi Manjil’, the Building where Mahatma Gandhi stayed In 1947 at Beliaghata in Kolkata and articles used by him during the over three-week period when he tried to douse the flames of communal violence will be on display from October 2 at the house that hosted him, which is now been developed as a full-fledged museum, according to reports. 

In August and September of 1947, Gandhi chose to be in Kolkata, away from the celebration of Independence, with some of his followers to calm the rioters down. 

 “The city was in flames. Gandhi and his followers stayed in the building and sat on an indefinite fast on August 31. Gandhi called off the fast on September 4 after leaders of the two communities visited him and laid down arms at his feet and cried for forgiveness,” said an office-bearer of the Purba Kolkata Gandhi Smarak Samiti, which has been managing the building since late 1950s.

 On August 13, 1947, Gandhi and his followers moved to the building, earlier known as ‘Hyderi Manjil’, and lived in two of its seven rooms as only these two were inhabitable, she added.

However, once Gandhi left on September 4, the building again went into decay. 

On October 2, 1985, the state government’s Public Works Department carried out some maintenance works there in consultation with the samiti and and it was named ‘Gandhi Bhavan’. But it didn’t draw wider public attention.

 In 2009, when the then state governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi visited the place, he asked the samiti to put on display some of the objects used by the Mahatma. Since then, it has been run as a small ‘museum’ by the samiti and objects like the spinning wheel, cap, ‘kharam’, pillow and mattress used by the Mahatma during his stay are on display in one of the rooms, an official of the samiti said.

 However, with limited resources of the samiti, there was not much public knowledge about the building and some of its exhibits and hence the number of visitors were few. In 2018, the state government fully took over the building and it has been massively upgraded. This renovated building will open as a full-fledged state-run museum on Wednesday, when the nation celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation. After the restoration of the entire building, these items will be displayed in a better and more organised way, the official said, expressing satisfaction the state government has taken the organisation on board in turning the building into a full-fledged museum. 

There will be some new additions in the museum too. “Items used by Gandhiji in the ashram he set up at Sodpur, 10 km from Beliaghata, to help inmates weave clothes by Charka and his correspondence (letter) with people in Noakhali, in present day Bangladesh, during the period of turmoil in Kolkata and Noakhali will also be added,” she said.

 Also newspaper clippings recording that turbulent phase in Bengal history will also be displayed in all the seven rooms of the museum, she added. 

“There are photographs too. For example, one is of a pensive Gandhiji looking at a dimly-lit lantern. Another image captured on September 4, showed teary-eyed community leaders asking him to call off the fast on. Another photo portraying Gandhi in ‘mounobrato’ (silence),” the office-bearer said. 

A glass case with three swords surrendered to the Mahatma by the rioters will also be on display, she said. “Hyderi Manjil is not just a building; it is associated with many memories. It was the epicenter of the fight against communalism,” said the samiti officer-bearer.

 “The museum, in its full glory and as a state-run facility, will be unveiled on October 2 to let the present generation knows more about Gandhiji and his association with the city,” she said.

 After the restoration, the building is now safeguarded by a high wall and the steps are paved with marbles. Its large central hall houses several wall paintings, crafted by the students of Rabindranath Tagore’s Viswa Bharati, on the 1947 communal violence. 

Biswanath Dey, who passed away in 2017, was one of the associates of Gandhi during his stay. His daughter-in-law recalls with pride how Gandhiji asked him to accompany him during his morning walks to a nearby canal every day. 

“My father-in-law, who was a teenager in 1947, used to say he was a part of six youths who would be always on Gandhiji’s side,” she recalls. 

Another nonagenarian, who frequented the place in those days and liked by Bapu, says she recently visited the place and was very happy with the ongoing maintenance work. She is now settled in South Africa. 

An official of the Information and Cultural Affairs department said the museum will have three divisions. “There will be one section depicting Gandhiji’s birth, death and political life; this will be the new addition to the previous museum, run by the voluntary organisation. There will be another section on his relations with Hyderi Manjil. And the third will show how he prevented the riots in Kolkata and Noakhali form escalating further. Newspaper clippings and other books and archival materials will be kept there,” the official said.

 There will be audio-visual presentation, another new addition, with voice-over in one section of the museum, a top official said. Besides a big gate, frescoes depicting non-violent movements of Gandhiji have been put up on the walls of the museum for the grand opening. A government official said an entry fee will be charged after all the objects are completely restored and put on display.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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LPG Aadhaar authentication mandatory for subsidy from October 1

Biometric Aadhaar authentication will be required for subsidised domestic LPG refills from October 1. Here is what changes for consumers who have and have not completed the process.

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12 hours ago

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September 23, 2026

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LPG cylinder

Biometric Aadhaar authentication will become a requirement for domestic LPG consumers seeking to book refills at the regulated retail selling price with applicable subsidy from October 1, 2026.

The government has said the measure is aimed at ensuring that subsidised LPG reaches eligible households and at preventing the diversion of subsidised domestic cylinders for commercial and industrial use.

What changes from October 1

Consumers who have already completed biometric Aadhaar authentication will not have to repeat the process. Their LPG refills will continue as before.

For consumers who have not completed the authentication, refill booking at the regulated price with subsidy will be enabled after the authentication is completed.

As of September 19, 2026, 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers, or 89.9 per cent of the total, had completed biometric Aadhaar authentication, according to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry.

How to complete Aadhaar authentication

Consumers who have not yet completed the process can do so through several channels.

Authentication can be completed during LPG delivery, at the distributor’s showroom or through the mobile applications of the three state-owned oil marketing companies.

Indane customers can use IndianOil ONE, Bharatgas customers can use HelloBPCL, while HP Gas customers can use HP PAY.

What if consumers do not complete authentication

The government has clarified that consumers who are unwilling or unable to complete biometric Aadhaar authentication can still receive LPG.

However, they will have to register their choice through the available digital channels of their oil marketing company, such as its consumer portal, mobile app, WhatsApp chatbot or IVRS.

Such consumers will be supplied LPG at the applicable market price without subsidy, in 5-kg or 10-kg cylinders, subject to local availability.

Why the government is introducing the requirement

According to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, linking each LPG connection to an Aadhaar-authenticated consumer is intended to prevent diversion of subsidised domestic cylinders and remove duplicate or ineligible connections.

The government has also said the measure is intended to make subsidy delivery more targeted and transparent.

Authentication deadline and progress

Consumers were initially asked to complete biometric Aadhaar authentication by June 30, 2026. The deadline was subsequently extended several times, with September 14 being the final extended deadline mentioned by the ministry.

The nationwide authentication drive has been underway since October 2023. The government said more than 12 crore SMS and WhatsApp messages had been sent as part of the outreach campaign.

The government has urged consumers who have not yet completed the process to do so before October 1.

LPG Aadhaar authentication becomes mandatory for subsidised domestic LPG refills from October 1. Consumers who have already completed biometric authentication need not do it again. Those who haven’t can still get LPG, but at the applicable market price without subsidy.

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BJP hits back at opposition over EC row, says disagreement is democracy

The BJP has defended reported differences among Election Commissioners, saying internal deliberations are part of a healthy democratic process.

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12 hours ago

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September 23, 2026

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The BJP has defended the Election Commission amid a political row over reported differences among Election Commissioners concerning decisions linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

BJP MP Sambit Patra said discussions and exchanges of views within the poll panel should be seen as part of the democratic process rather than as evidence of institutional dysfunction.

According to the BJP’s position, disagreement during official deliberations reflects the fact that members of an institution are able to put forward their views before decisions are taken.

BJP defends EC deliberations

Patra said that if the three Election Commissioners discuss and debate issues among themselves, such exchanges should not be characterised as dictatorship. He described such deliberations as a sign of a healthy democracy.

The BJP’s response came amid reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on multiple occasions over decisions and orders associated with the SIR exercise and electoral rolls.

The Election Commission has said that differences in views and observations are a normal part of deliberations within an institution. It has maintained that decisions, including those related to SIR, were taken unanimously.

Row centres on SIR process

The controversy comes against the backdrop of the ongoing political debate over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Opposition parties have raised concerns over the reported differences within the poll panel, while the BJP has sought to counter those arguments by pointing to the role of discussion and deliberation in institutional decision-making.

Patra also said the BJP’s understanding of the matter was based on media reports rather than access to the Election Commission’s internal documents. He said the documents, as reported, indicated that the SIR process was finalised after democratic deliberations and consensus.

What the Election Commission has said

The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that the reported objections indicate a breakdown in its functioning.

It has maintained that differing opinions during deliberations are part of normal institutional functioning and that the decisions eventually taken by the commission were unanimous.

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IIT Bombay Professor Suryanarayana Doolla sent on leave amid student suicide row

IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla has been sent on leave amid the ongoing student protests following Sahil Wakode’s death.

Published

22 hours ago

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September 23, 2026

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IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla has been sent on leave amid the ongoing controversy following the death of 20-year-old student Sahil Wakode, with protests on the campus seeking action against the professor.

Doolla, a faculty member in IIT Bombay’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering, had been involved in the examination incident concerning Wakode. The student was allegedly found using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination and had uploaded the question paper to an AI platform to seek answers, according to the institute.

Why Suryanarayana Doolla is at the centre of the controversy

Doolla was the course instructor and examination invigilator during the examination and was involved in reporting the alleged examination malpractice to the institute’s authorities.

IIT Bombay has said Wakode was subsequently counselled by the instructor and the Head of Department and was assured that the examination incident would not adversely affect his academic career. The institute has also maintained that no disciplinary action had been initiated against the student before his death.

Wakode’s family, however, alleged harassment and caste-based discrimination. Mumbai Police registered a case based on the family’s complaint, with Doolla among those named. The allegations remain subject to investigation.

Student protests at IIT Bombay

Following Wakode’s death, students began protesting on the IIT Bombay campus and demanded action against Doolla.

IIT Bombay Director Professor Shireesh Kedare met the protesting students on September 20 and signed an 18-point charter of demands. The demands included action against Doolla.

Doolla was subsequently removed from the post of Dean Students Welfare amid the protests. The latest action comes as the controversy surrounding Wakode’s death and the allegations against the professor continue to be investigated.

Faculty members back Doolla

While students have demanded action against Doolla, IIT Bombay’s Faculty Forum has backed the professor, saying he was performing his duties as an invigilator and had followed the institute’s prescribed procedure after detecting the alleged examination malpractice.

The controversy involves the examination incident, allegations made by Wakode’s family and the police investigation into his death. The allegations against Doolla have not been established as facts and remain part of the ongoing investigation.

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