File image of the India House in UK.
Credit: X
Mumbai: In a significant development, the Maharashtra government will take over the historical India House in London, once the abode of freedom fighters and a base of revolutionary Indian nationalism.
The India House was a students’ residence that existed between 1905 and 1910 at Cromwell Avenue in Highgate in North London.
Lawyer, journalist and freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma had founded the Indian Home Rule Society (IHRS) and India House.
Among those associated with the India House were Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Virendranath Chattopadhyay, Bhikaji Cama, Lala Har Dayal, Varahaneri Venkatesa Subramaniam Aiyar, Mandayam Parthasarathi Tirumal Acharya and Pandurang Mahadev Bapat, popularly known as Senapati Bapat and Madan Lal Dhingra.
The announcement was made by State’s Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar, who said that a detailed report would be presented to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Shelar said Indian residents in London had drawn the state's attention to the importance of the property during his trip to the United Kingdom.
A joint review meeting was held at the ministry on Wednesday, attended by Nashik MLA Devyani Farande and officials from the General Administration Department, Cultural Affairs Department and Directorate of Archaeology.
“It was decided to set up a multi-departmental committee to examine the acquisition and preservation of India House,” said Shelar.
Officials said the proposed acquisition will be followed by steps to conserve the property and develop it as a memorial that recognises its role in the anti-colonial movement.
The committee will study legal, financial, and administrative modalities of taking the site under the state control and submit detailed recommendations to the chief minister, officials added.
In addition to the India House being a student-hostel, it served as headquarters of IHRS.